Early elections threaten Northern Ireland due to political crisis | NOW

Early elections in Northern Ireland seem inevitable. The country is due to have a new government by Friday, but has been in a political stalemate since February. This is due to disagreements over the Brexit agreements.

The cause of the political crisis is that the country’s second largest party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), is obstructing the formation of a new board. The Government of Northern Ireland is to be made up of both Unionists and Republicans.

But the DUP refuses to propose ministers. The party does so in protest against the trade deals struck over Northern Ireland after Britain left the European Union. According to the DUP, these agreements weaken the current status of Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

The elections ended in May. Since then, the DUP has not collaborated with Republican election winner Sinn Féin. On Thursday, during an emergency meeting of parliament, the DUP refused to elect a new president. This is an important intermediate step towards the formation of a new government.

Great chance of new elections in December

Under Northern Irish law, a new government must be formed within a maximum of 24 weeks after the election. This period ends on the night of Thursday to Friday at 1:00 a.m. (Dutch time).

The chance of new elections is therefore enormous. Insiders are already taking into account that new elections will take place in mid-December.

The British government of Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has not yet given up hope. “There’s still time,” a Sunak spokesperson said. “Speak out, because the people of Northern Ireland deserve a fully functioning, locally elected government that can solve problems.”