Northern Ireland government aims to return to Stormont after two-year hiatus

Northern Ireland’s devolved government will be restored two years after its collapse.

A meeting of the Legislative Assembly will be held in Stormont, Belfast, at 13:00 GMT on Saturday to restore power-sharing institutions.

For the first time, an Irish nationalist will hold the role of first minister in the executive branch.

Mr Stormont’s recall follows the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) ending its boycott over Brexit trade rules.

It is exactly two years since the DUP resigned from its first cabinet in protest at extra checks and red tape for goods moving between Northern Ireland and the UK.

This move led to the collapse of the power-sharing executive, and the party has continued to block the restoration of the system ever since.

But on Monday the DUP agreed to return to Stormont following a deal with the government aimed at addressing Labor members’ concerns about Northern Ireland’s place in the UK internal market.

The first job of a Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA) is to elect a new speaker.

Once the chair is elected, nominations for ministerial positions will be made by the parties eligible to co-lead the Executive, Northern Ireland’s decision-making and policy-making body.

Sinn Féin will appoint its first minister for the first time since it won the most seats in the last parliamentary election in May 2022. Michelle O’Neill, deputy leader of the Irish Republican Party, will take on the role.

For the first time as the largest united party, the DUP will appoint a deputy prime minister. It has been speculated that Emma Little-Pengery could be nominated, but the DUP has not confirmed its plans.

Although the First Minister and Deputy First Minister hold joint positions and have equal powers, Mr O’Neill’s appointment as Northern Ireland’s first Republican First Minister is seen as a landmark moment for Irish nationalism. There is.

There has also been speculation ahead of the opening of Parliament over which divisions the Stormont party may hold.

The Alliance party, the third-largest party in parliament, has not yet confirmed whether it will enter government, but its leader, Naomi Long, previously served as justice minister.

This position is determined using community voting rather than the D’Hondt method, which determines how much power each party has among the other seven departments and the order in which they are elected.

The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) has confirmed it will take on an executive role instead of joining the official opposition party.

The Social Democratic Party and Labor Party (SDLP) is the fifth largest party in parliament, with eight members, but it will not be eligible to be part of the next executive and will instead move into the opposition party.

SDLP MP Matthew O’Toole said his party wanted these institutions to “work effectively for the people of Northern Ireland”.

The agreement between the DUP and the UK government will reduce post-Brexit checks and red tape for goods moving from the rest of the UK to Northern Ireland.

This means there will no longer be “routine” checks on goods sent from the UK to Northern Ireland and held there.

It argued that the rules would reduce Northern Ireland’s position in the UK internal market.

The return of the Stormont boss also means the UK Treasury will announce a £3.3bn package to support Northern Ireland’s struggling public services.

Thousands of nurses, teachers, civil servants and others have gone on strike in recent weeks over pay and conditions.

At the last parliamentary election in May 2022, Sinn Féin became Stormont’s largest party for the first time, pushing the DUP into second place.

However, Stormont’s power-sharing structure between trade unionists and nationalists means that the executive cannot be reinstated without the support of both parties.