Northern Ireland’s largest Sinn Féin: harbinger of an Ireland?

First a coalition

And it remains to be seen if the party can get off to a quick start. For the Good Friday Agreement stipulates that the two largest parties – a unionist party and a nationalist party – are obliged to share power and provide the prime minister and deputy prime minister. One party must therefore cooperate with the other.

And the other is the DUP – Democratic Ulster Party, a pro-British Protestant party which suffered heavy losses in this election. Among DUP voters there is great dissatisfaction with Brexit and the resulting issues around the so-called Northern Ireland Protocol, which regulates the flow of goods between the European Union and Great Britain. -Brittany. Much to the horror of Unionists, a trade border was established in the sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK after Brexit.

In the run-up to elections, the DUP was regularly asked whether the party would co-operate in a government under Sinn Féin. The party stipulated that the issues surrounding the Northern Ireland protocol must first be resolved.

urgent problem

And with that, forming a coalition in the Northern Ireland parliament is also becoming a pressing issue for negotiations between the UK government and the European Union. Because the UK government could come under more pressure to tinker with Brexit deals with Brussels.

For example, the outcome of the election in Northern Ireland could have far-reaching consequences; not only for Ireland and the unity of the United Kingdom, but also for Brussels and the EU.