Northern Ireland’s electricity sharing could resume within days after two years hiatus

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Northern Ireland’s main pro-Labour party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), announced on Tuesday that it had reached an agreement with the British government to mark it, ending a nearly two-year government boycott. A return to power-sharing within the states.

Geoffrey Donaldson, leader of the pro-British party DUP, made the announcement at a press conference early Tuesday morning.

The move could see a nationalist Sinn Féin member take up the first ministerial post since a power-sharing arrangement was introduced as part of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement.

Sinn Féin won the most seats in Northern Ireland’s 2022 parliamentary election.

Northern Ireland has been without a devolved government for almost two years, since the DUP left the country in February 2022, ostensibly in protest against trade rules put in place after Brexit in 2020. in the process of.

Brexit has put a strain on a carefully orchestrated power-sharing agreement aimed at keeping peace in Northern Ireland, which was hit by the violent sectarian violence known during the 1960s upheavals and 1998 peace negotiations. . More than 3,500 people died. Approximately 47,500 people were injured in the riot.

Post-Brexit trade rules mean customs checks will be imposed on goods shipped from mainland Britain to Northern Ireland.

The agreement, known as the Northern Ireland Protocol, allows Northern Ireland, part of the United Kingdom, to remain within the EU market and trade goods freely across its land border with the Republic of Ireland, an EU member state. I did. .

The adoption of the protocol infuriated unionist politicians in Belfast, who argued that the move would create trade barriers between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK, thus undermining their standing within the union. Since then, the DUP has refused to return to government, along with pro-Irish nationalist party Sinn Féin.

Unionists in Northern Ireland, such as the DUP, support remaining in the UK, while nationalists, such as Sinn Féin, support the union of Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Mr Donaldson told a press conference on Tuesday that the party had concluded that a series of new measures would provide the basis for the DUP to appoint members of the Northern Ireland Executive (the state’s governing body).

He added that this would be conditional on commitments between the DUP and the UK government in Westminster being “fully and faithfully implemented as agreed”.

“I believe a clear decision was made tonight…and I believe that it will provide us with a basis for moving forward and that we can follow.” [UK] The government is keeping its promises,” Mr Donaldson said.

Mr Donaldson went on to say that the package “will protect Northern Ireland’s place within the Union and restore our position within the UK domestic market”, and will protect goods that move within the UK but remain in Northern Ireland. It added that it would also abolish the state’s checks. “In the future he will be automatically subject to EU law.”

He said the new law would guarantee Northern Ireland businesses “unfettered access” to the rest of the UK.

Mr Donaldson told BBC Radio on Tuesday that he expected full details of the decision, including both constitutional law and practical arrangements, to be announced as early as Wednesday once the British government had finalized the details. said.

He added that the devolved government could return to Stormont, the seat of power in Northern Ireland, within days “if the[British]government moves at the speed I believe”.

Once the deal is published and the legislation passed, it could lead to a recall of the Northern Ireland Assembly, which would require MPs to elect a new speaker.

Once the chairperson is elected, the parties eligible to jointly lead the executive body will propose a candidate for the position of first minister. In Northern Ireland, the executive branch is the decision-making body.

Sinn Féin will appoint its first minister after winning the most seats in last year’s election.

The DUP will also name a deputy prime minister. Mr Donaldson will not be nominated because he resigned as an MP when his party left the government two years ago.

Both the Irish and British prime ministers said they were “hopeful” that a deal with the DUP would help restore power-sharing.

Downing Street said Chancellor Rishi Sunak was “confident that these steps will pave the way for the restoration of power-sharing”, while Ireland’s Taoiseach’s office said Leo Varadkar had spoken with Mr Sunak. He said they had held “good consultations” and both leaders hoped this would “pave the way for the early restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive and Parliament”.

Chris Heaton-Harris, Britain’s secretary of state for Northern Ireland, welcomed the move as an “important step”.

Heaton-Harris said: “I am pleased that the DUP has agreed to accept the package of measures put forward by the UK Government. As a result, the DUP is ready to return to the Northern Ireland Parliament and appoint a representative to the Northern Ireland Executive. ” he said. Regarding X, he added that the UK “stands by this agreement”.

“I believe that all conditions are now in place for the resumption of Parliament. The political parties eligible to form the Executive are meeting today to discuss these issues and I will do my best to I hope that we can conclude this agreement with the political parties soon,” he added.

Sinn Féin deputy president Michelle O’Neill said she welcomed the return to power-sharing. “The parties will meet later today. We have much work to do to address the challenges facing public services, workers and families that require urgent action,” she told X .

Ireland’s Tánaiste Foreign and Defense Minister Michael Martin also welcomed the decision, saying the return of parliament and the executive was “good news for the people of Northern Ireland and the Good Friday Agreement”.

“I look forward to working with the administration and Congress in the years ahead,” Martin said on Tuesday.

Claire Cronin, the US ambassador to Ireland, also welcomed the decision.

“The people of Northern Ireland are best served by a power-sharing government at Stormont as outlined in the Good Friday Agreement. [US President Joe Biden] “We have long made clear our support for a safe and prosperous Northern Ireland, where all communities have a voice and enjoy the benefits of a hard-won peace,” she told X.

Correction: This article has been updated with the correct year in which Sinn Féin won the most seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly vote.