2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election

The 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election was held on Thursday, 2 March 2017. The election was held to elect members (MLAs) following the resignation of deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness in protest over the Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. McGuinness' position was not filled, and thus by law his resignation triggered an election.

2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election
2 March 2017
All 90 seats to the Northern Ireland Assembly
Turnout64.78% (9.8%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Arlene Foster Michelle O'Neill Colum Eastwood
Party DUP Sinn Féin SDLP
Leader since 17 December 2015 23 January 2017 14 November 2015
Leader's seat Fermanagh and South Tyrone Mid Ulster Foyle
Last election 38 seats, 29.2% 28 seats, 24% 12 seats, 12%
Seats won 28 27 12
Seat change 10 1
Popular vote 225,413 224,245 95,958
Percentage 28.1% 27.9% 11.9%
Swing 1.1% 3.9% 0.1%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Mike Nesbitt Naomi Long Steven Agnew
Party Ulster Unionist Alliance Green (NI)
Leader since 31 March 2012 26 October 2016 January 2011
Leader's seat Strangford Belfast East North Down
Last election 16 seats, 12.6% 8 seats, 7.7% 2 seats, 2.7%
Seats won 10 8 2
Seat change 6
Popular vote 103,314 72,717 18,527
Percentage 12.9% 9.1% 2.3%
Swing 0.3% 2.1% 0.4%
  Seventh party Eighth party
 
Leader Jim Allister Eamonn McCann
Party TUV People Before Profit
Leader since 7 December 2007 N/A
Leader's seat North Antrim Foyle (Defeated)
Last election 1 seat, 3.4% 2 seats, 2.0%
Seats before 1 2
Seats won 1 1
Seat change 1
Popular vote 20,523 14,100
Percentage 2.6% 1.8%
Swing 0.8% 0.2%
Election results. Voters elect 5 assembly members from the 18 constituencies.
First Minister and
deputy First Minister before election

Arlene Foster (DUP) &
Martin McGuinness (SF)

 First Minister and
deputy First Minister after election

Arlene Foster (DUP) &
Michelle O'Neill (SF)

Eight parties elected MLAs in the sixth assembly: the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), Sinn Féin, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland, the Greens, People Before Profit (PBP), and Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV). There was also one Independent Unionist MLA.

It was the sixth election since the Assembly was re-established in 1998, and the first to implement a reduction in size to 90 MLAs (versus the previous 108).

1,254,709 people were registered to vote in the election (26,886 fewer, or a 2.1% decrease, compared to the 2016 Assembly election). 64.78% of registered voters turned out to vote in the 2017 Assembly election, up 9.8 percentage points from the previous Assembly election held in 2016, but 5 percentage points less than in the first election to the Assembly held in 1998.

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