Sinn Fein to gain in NI

Dr Galen

from RTE.ie

Drama in NI as EP vote turnout falls
Saturday, 6 June 2009 10:49
Northern Ireland Low turnout

Northern Ireland Low turnout

Northern Ireland looks set for a dramatic series of European election results as official figures confirmed a major drop in voter turnout.

For more visit RTÉ.ie/Elections

Only 42.8% of people eligible to vote cast a ballot, down significantly from the figure of 51.72% turnout at the last European election.

Vote counting will not begin until Monday, but early unofficial tallies suggest the Democratic Unionist Party has suffered a major hit.

Sinn Féin is now tipped to emerge as the largest party for the first time in any Northern Ireland election.

The results show unionist areas have registered lower turnouts than voting districts that are predominantly nationalist.

There had been speculation that public anger over the revelations surrounding MPs' expenses and the wages accumulated by double-jobbing politicians might lead to some voters staying at home.

Politicians repeatedly reported hearing the issue raised on the doorsteps.

The DUP also faces a threat from the hardline Traditional Unionist Voice, which is opposed to power-sharing with republicans.

TUV candidate and party leader Jim Allister, a former DUP member, appears to have captured a substantial share of disaffected unionist voters.

The projections being made for the final results for political parties follow the release of official figures for the turnout in Northern Ireland's 18 constituent areas.

They revealed turnouts of:
:: Belfast East 38.82%
:: Belfast North 40.98%
:: Belfast South 42.1%
:: Belfast West 46.6%
:: Lagan Valley 38.86%
:: South Down 44.97%
:: Mid Ulster 52.83%
:: North Antrim 43.7%
:: East Antrim 34.53%
:: North Down 34.48%
:: South Antrim 38.03%
:: Strangford 34.24%.
:: East Londonderry 42.3%
:: Foyle 44.4%
:: Fermanagh/South Tyrone 51.52%
:: West Tyrone 50.3%
:: Upper Bann 41.81%
:: North Antrim 49.1%

The total poll was 488,891 of the electorate of 1,141,979.

looks like fractured nature of the Unionist vote up north has caught up, and allowed Sinn Fein, to capitalise. Boxes are sealed til Monday afaik as no counting is done on a Sunday.

These results could have surprising consequences of they are borne out to be true. I'd expect recriminations on the DUP side, over strategy etc. No indications of how the SDLP polled though, so maybe not s shoe-in for Sinn Fein just yet.

Red Crow

Hope Sinn Fein win. No need for them bleeping Unionists to win anything. TAR.

Dr Galen

how do you work that one out then?

sceptre

That's purely opinion and wishin' & hopin' so I don't think there's anything he's got to justify there.

I'm assuming it's going to be one SF and two unionists of some ilk. The only really interesting thing there is whether de Bruin comes in first or squeezes in at a later count.

Joey the lips

Say what you want be I think gerry adams says it best. There is no point in one side taking part in politics it needs to be the inclusion of all sides. The unitity of Ireland will not happen without the inclusion of the unionist population..

The protest vote the unionist community that is showing can be judged as being because of many thing. For my part I have to say if its shown to be a protest against the unionist and republicians talking then I am siding with Republicians

We all signed up to the GFA we amended articles of the constitution. its long overdue for the unionists to play ball