Voters go to the polls in Stormont Assembly election
-
Loading... - Zander Lambros
- 05 May 2022
- 315 Views
- 0 Like
- 0 Comment
Northern Ireland's political leaders have cast their ballots in the Assembly election.
The process is taking place amid speculation of a potentially seismic result.
Estimated turnout figures for 88% of 600 polling stations indicate that at midday there was a turnout of 13%.
Sinn Féin's vice-president Michelle O'Neill filled out her ballot paper in St Patrick's primary school in her home village of Clonoe, Co Tyrone, accompanied by party colleague Linda Dillon.
She posed for photographs with some voters before leaving.
Almost 40km away, DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson cast his vote at Dromore Central primary school in Co Down.
Naomi Long, leader of the cross-community Alliance Party, cast her ballot accompanied by husband Michael at St Colmcille's parochial house in the east Belfast constituency where she was once the MP.
Colum Eastwood, leader of the nationalist SDLP, voted at the Model primary school in his home city of Derry accompanied by his wife Rachael and children.
Just over 600 polling stations opened at 7am and will close at 10pm.
More than 1.3 million people are on the electoral register in Northern Ireland.
A total of 239 candidates, of whom 87 are women, a record figure and 17 more than in the last Assembly election in 2017.
The MLA hopefuls are battling it out for 90 seats, five in each of the 18 constituencies.Sinn Féin is fielding the highest number of candidates with 34, followed by the DUP on 30.
The Ulster Unionists have 27, the Alliance Party 24 and the SDLP 22.
The Traditional Unionist Voice has 19 candidates.
The Green Party has 18 candidates on ballot papers but one of them, in the Mid Ulster constituency, was suspended last week and is no longer being endorsed by the party.
People Before Profit and Aontú are each fielding 12 candidates.
Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV) proportional representation electoral system.
Counting will start at three centres in Belfast, Jordanstown and Magherafelt from 8am tomorrow morning with the first results expected later in the day.
More than 1,000 staff will be involved in the counting. The first results are expected early tomorrow afternoon. Read More...
