Belfast West is a constituency in the Northern Ireland Assembly.
It was first used for a Northern Ireland-only election in 1973, which elected the then Northern Ireland Assembly. It usually shares boundaries with the Belfast West UK Parliament constituency. However, the boundaries of the two constituencies were slightly different from 1973 to 1974, 1983 to 1986 and 2010 to 2011 (because the Assembly boundaries had not caught up with Parliamentary boundary changes) and from 1996 to 1997, when members of the Northern Ireland Forum had been elected from the newly drawn Parliamentary constituencies but the 51st Parliament of the United Kingdom, elected in 1992 under the 1983–95 constituency boundaries, was still in session.
Members were then elected from the constituency to the 1975 Constitutional Convention, the 1982 Assembly, the 1996 Forum and then to the current Assembly from 1998.
For further details of the history and boundaries of the constituency, see Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency).
Members
Election MLA (party) MLA (party) MLA (party) MLA (party) MLA (party) MLA (party) 1973Paddy Devlin(SDLP) Desmond Gillespie(SDLP)Hugh Smyth(Independent Unionist)Bob Cooper(Alliance Party)John Laird(UUP)Jean Coulter(Vanguard/UUP) 1975Joe Hendron(SDLP) 1982 4 seats1982–1996Gerry Adams(Sinn Féin) Will Glendinning(Alliance) Thomas Passmore(UUP) 4 seats1982–1996 1996 5 seats1996–1998Alex Maskey(Sinn Féin) Dodie McGuinness(Sinn Féin) Annie Armstrong(Sinn Féin) 1998Alex Attwood(SDLP)Bairbre de Brún(Sinn Féin) Sue Ramsey(Sinn Féin) 2003Diane Dodds(DUP)Fra McCann(Sinn Féin)Michael Ferguson(Sinn Féin) November 2004co-optionSue Ramsey(Sinn Féin) September 2006deathVacant 2007Paul Maskey(Sinn Féin)Jennifer McCann(Sinn Féin) December 2010co-optionPat Sheehan(Sinn Féin) 2011 July 2012co-optionRosie McCorley(Sinn Féin) November 2014co-optionAlex Maskey(Sinn Féin) 2016Gerry Carroll(PBP) December 2016co-option Órlaithí Flynn(Sinn Féin) 2017 5 seats2017–presentOctober 2021co-option Aisling Reilly(Sinn Féin) 2022 Danny Baker(Sinn Féin) Note: The columns in this table are used only for presentational purposes, and no significance should be attached to the order of columns. For details of the order in which seats were won at each election, see the detailed results of that election.
Elections
Northern Ireland Assembly
2027
2022
2017
2016
2011
2007
Note: All Republican Sinn Féin candidates appeared as Independent on the ballot paper.
2003
Note: David Kerr sought election as an Ulster Third Way candidate, and appeared as such on the ballot paper.
1998
Note: Mary Cahillane sought election as a Pro-Agreement Socialist candidate, and appeared as such on the ballot paper.
1996 forum Successful candidates are shown in bold.1996 Candidates – West Belfast , Northern Ireland Elections
Party Candidate(s) Votes Percentage Gerry AdamsDodie McGuinnessAlex MaskeyAnnie ArmstrongMarie Moore22,35553.4 Joe HendronAlex AttwoodMargaret WalshPatricia LewsleyMary Muldoon11,08726.5 Hugh SmythMina Wardle1,9824.7 Eric SmythMargaret Ferris1,7694.2 Fred ParkinsonJohn McDonald1,4893.6 John LowryJim Pollock9842.4 Frank McCoubreyDelwyn Williams8482.0 Dan McGuinnessPatricia MallonGlyn Roberts3400.8 Mary CahillaneIsabel CowanBarbara LynnBrian McDermottTerence McDonagh3190.8 Vera McKeeMary CatneyAnn HallJulie Cullen2520.6 Jude StephensPhilip KearneyDavid Taylor1560.4 Charles BalmerDavid Munster600.1 DUPFlorence BaxterWilliam Clements360.1 Kenneth McClintonClifford Peoples430.1 Mary McMahonFreddie Rea370.1 Michael KennedyVivien Martin300.1 Barry BrutonDaniella Egerton280.1 Bernard McGrathSusan McGrath260.1 ChambersRuth PattyRichard Stewart120.0
1982
1975 Constitutional Convention
Note: John Laird, Jean Coulter and Edith Goligher were all UUUC endorsed candidates.
1973
Note: John Laird, Hugh Smyth, Jean Coulter and William Spence used the label "West Belfast Loyalist Coalition" simultaneously whilst standing under different party affiliations.
References
Sources Northern Ireland ELECTIONS: West Belfast Northern Ireland ELECTIONS: West Belfast 1973–82