Elections in Northern Ireland

Elections in Northern Ireland are held on a regular basis to local councils, the Northern Ireland Assembly and to the Parliament of the United Kingdom.

The Northern Ireland Assembly has 90 members, elected in 18 five-member constituencies by the single transferable vote (STV) method. Northern Ireland is represented at Westminster by 18 single-member constituencies elected by the first-past-the-post method.

Unlike in the rest of the United Kingdom, elections in Northern Ireland are administered centrally by the Chief Electoral Officer for Northern Ireland and the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland rather than by local authorities.

Elections to the United Kingdom House of Commons Legend U: unionist; N: nationalist; O: other. +Election SF (N) DUP (U) UUP (U) SDLP (N) APNI (O) TUV (U) UKUP (U) UPUP (U) UUUP (U) VUPP (U) RLP (N) PUP (U) Unity (N) NP (N) Lab (O) Ind U Ind N Ind Lab Total Total U Total N Total O 1922 11 2 13 11 2 1923 11 2 13 11 2 1924 13 13 13 1929 11 2 13 11 2 1931 11 2 13 11 2 1935 11 2 13 11 2 1945 9 2 1 1 13 10 2 11950 10 2 12 10 2 1951 9 2 1 12 9 2 11955 2 10 12 10 2 1959 12 12 12 1964 12 12 12 1966111121111970811212931713121111613112102197935111112102198313111117152198713931171341992394117134199722103118135200145631811720055913181082010583111898120154823118117201771011811720197821188912024751211118891 Sinn Féin have never taken their seats in the United Kingdom House of Commons due to their policy of abstentionism. UUP MPs sat as members of the Conservative Party until 1972.

By-elections Gains are marked with a grey background. Constituency Date Incumbent Party Winner Party CauseMid ArmaghJames Lonsdale Henry Armstrong DeathBelfast DuncairnEdward Carson Thomas McConnell Appointed Lord of Appeal in OrdinaryNorth DownThomas Watters Brown Thomas Watters Brown Appointed Solicitor-General for IrelandMid DownJames Craig Robert Sharman-Crawford Elected Prime Minister of Northern IrelandWest DownDaniel Martin Wilson Thomas Browne Wallace Appointed Recorder of BelfastSouth LondonderryDenis Henry Robert Chichester Appointed Lord Chief Justice of Northern IrelandSouth LondonderryRobert Chichester William Pain DeathWest DownThomas Browne Wallace Hugh Hayes Appointed Chief Clerk to the High Court of Northern IrelandNorth DownThomas Watters Brown Sir Henry Wilson, Bt Appointed to the High Court of Northern IrelandNorth LondonderryHugh T. Barrie Malcolm Macnaghten DeathNorth DownSir Henry Wilson, Bt John Simms Killed by the IRALondonderryMalcolm Macnaghten Ronald Ross Appointment to High Court of Justice of England and WalesFermanagh and TyroneThomas Harbison Cahir Healy DeathFermanagh and TyroneJoseph Devlin Joe Stewart DeathDownDavid Reid James Little DeathBelfast EastHerbert Dixon Henry Harland Elevation to the PeerageQueen's University of BelfastThomas Sinclair Douglas Savory ResignationBelfast WestAlexander Browne Jack Beattie DeathAntrimSir Joseph McConnell, Bt John Dermot Campbell DeathDownJames Little C. H. Mullan DeathArmaghSir William Allen Richard Harden Death by road accidentBelfast WestJ. G. MacManaway Thomas Teevan Disqualified under the House of Commons (Clergy Disqualification) Act 1801LondonderryRonald Ross William Wellwood Appointment as Northern Ireland Government Agent in LondonNorth AntrimSir Hugh O'Neill Phelim O'Neill ResignationBelfast SouthConolly Gage David Campbell ResignationNorth DownWalter Smiles Patricia Ford Died in MV Princess Victoria ferry disasterArmaghRichard Harden C. W. Armstrong ResignationMid UlsterTom Mitchell Tom Mitchell DisqualificationMid UlsterCharles Beattie George Forrest DisqualificationBelfast EastAlan McKibbin Stanley McMaster DeathBelfast SouthSir David Campbell Rafton Pounder DeathMid UlsterGeorge Forrest Bernadette Devlin DeathFermanagh and South TyroneFrank Maguire Bobby Sands DeathFermanagh and South TyroneBobby Sands Owen Carron Death from hunger strikeBelfast SouthRobert Bradford Martin Smyth Killed by the IRAAntrim NorthIan Paisley Ian Paisley Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementAntrim EastRoy Beggs Roy Beggs Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementAntrim SouthClifford Forsythe Clifford Forsythe Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementBelfast EastPeter Robinson Peter Robinson Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementBelfast NorthCecil Walker Cecil Walker Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementBelfast SouthMartin Smyth Martin Smyth Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementDown NorthJames Kilfedder James Kilfedder Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementDown SouthEnoch Powell Enoch Powell Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementFermanagh and South TyroneKen Maginnis Ken Maginnis Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementLagan ValleyJames Molyneaux James Molyneaux Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementEast LondonderryWilliam Ross William Ross Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementMid UlsterWilliam McCrea William McCrea Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementStrangfordJohn Taylor John Taylor Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementNewry and ArmaghJames Nicholson Seamus Mallon Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementUpper BannHarold McCusker Harold McCusker Resignation in protest at Anglo-Irish AgreementUpper BannHarold McCusker David Trimble DeathNorth DownSir James Kilfedder Robert McCartney DeathSouth AntrimClifford Forsythe William McCrea DeathBelfast WestGerry Adams Paul Maskey Resignation to contest the Louth constituency in the Irish general electionMid UlsterMartin McGuinness Francie Molloy Resignation to end dual mandate as Member of Parliament and Member of the Northern Ireland AssemblyWest TyroneBarry McElduff Órfhlaith Begley Resignation

Recall petition 2018 North Antrim recall petition

Referendums Northern Ireland-specific referendums 1973 Northern Ireland border poll 1998 Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement referendum

United Kingdom-wide referendums 1975 United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum#Results by United Kingdom constituent countries 2011 United Kingdom Alternative Vote referendum#Results by constituent countries 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum#Results by constituent countries & Gibraltar

Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly Legend U: unionist; N: nationalist; O: other.

ElectionDUP (U) SF (N) UUP (U) SDLP (N) APNI (O) UKUP (U) UPUP (U) PUP (U) VUPP (U) UPNI (U) NILP (O) NIWC (O) GPNI (O) TUV (U) PBP (O) Ind U Ind N Ind O Total Total U Total N Total O 1973 8 31 19 8 7 1 4 78 50 19 9 1975 12 19 17 8 14 5 1 2 78 52 17 9 1982 21 5 26 14 10 1 1 78 49 19 10 1998 20 18 28 24 6 5 2 2 3 108 58 42 8 2003 30 24 27 18 6 1 1 1 108 59 42 7 2007 36 28 18 16 7 1 1 1 108 55 44 9 2011 38 29 16 14 8 1 1 1 108 56 43 9 2016 38 28 16 12 8 2 1 2 1 108 56 40 12 2017 28 27 10 12 8 2 1 1 1 90 40 39 11 20222527981711290373518

1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2011 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2016 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2017 Northern Ireland Assembly election 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election

Elections to the European Parliament

From 1979 to 2020, three of the seats in the European Parliament allocated to the United Kingdom formed a three-seat constituency elected by single transferable vote. It differed from European Parliament constituencies elsewhere in the United Kingdom which used the D'Hondt method. The United Kingdom withdrew from the European Union on 31 January 2020, and the constituency was abolished.

Year DUP SF APNI UUP SDLP1979 1 0 0 1 11984 1 0 0 1 11989 1 0 0 1 11994 1 0 0 1 11999 1 0 0 1 12004 1 1 0 1 02009 1 1 0 1 02014 1 1 0 1 02019 1 1 1 0 0

Ad hoc elections 1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election 1975 Northern Ireland Constitutional Convention election 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election 1996 Northern Ireland Forum election

Elections to the Northern Ireland House of Commons 1921 Northern Ireland general election 1925 Northern Ireland general election 1929 Northern Ireland general election 1933 Northern Ireland general election 1938 Northern Ireland general election 1945 Northern Ireland general election 1949 Northern Ireland general election 1953 Northern Ireland general election 1958 Northern Ireland general election 1962 Northern Ireland general election 1965 Northern Ireland general election 1969 Northern Ireland general election

By-elections List of Northern Ireland Parliament by-elections

Local elections

References

External links Adam Carr's Election Archive Parties and elections Northern Ireland Elections