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To be appointed Northern Ireland Executive (2022-)
The
Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly
was appointed on 3 February 2024, following the
2022 election
to the seventh
Northern Ireland Assembly
held on 5 May 2022 and the protracted negotiations leading up to the
2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation
. The newly elected assembly met for the first time on 13 May 2022.
[1]
It is led by
Michelle O'Neill
of
Sinn Fein
as
First Minister
and
Emma Little-Pengelly
of the
DUP
as
deputy First Minister
.
Formation discussions
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As leader of the largest party in the Assembly,
Sinn Fein
's
Michelle O'Neill
is expected by commentators to be the leading candidate for the First Minister office,
[2]
[3]
with the party entitled to make the only nomination to the position.
[4]
Her election would rely on the
Democratic Unionist Party
's agreement to sit on the executive, and serve in the Assembly, something which is in doubt since the party's previous First Minister
Paul Givan
resigned the post in February 2022, in protest over the
Northern Ireland Protocol
of the
Brexit agreement
,
[5]
the implementation of which unionists have objected to.
[6]
Sir
Jeffrey Donaldson
,
DUP leader
and
Member of Parliament
for
Lagan Valley
secured an MLA position in the
eponymous constituency
, becoming the presumed choice for Deputy First Minister, but has since announced that the DUP leadership team would decide if he would take that seat, (and thus call a by-election for his Westminster seat), or appoint a proxy.
[7]
On 12 May, the day before the first scheduled sitting day of the Assembly, Donaldson announced his decision to remain as an MP, and formally co-opted former MP for
Belfast South
and MLA for
Belfast South
,
Emma Little-Pengelly
, to take his seat in the Assembly.
[8]
The DUP refused to assent to the election of a
Speaker
on 13 May
[9]
in further protest to the Northern Ireland Protocol, so the Assembly could not continue to other business, including the appointment of a fresh Executive.
[10]
The Speaker and
incumbent ministers from the previous Assembly
continued in office in caretaker capacity, a new arrangement introduced by the
New Decade, New Approach agreement
,
[9]
but this provision expired in October 2022.
On 30 January 2024, leader of the DUP
Jeffrey Donaldson
announced that the DUP would allow the formation of the institutions on the condition that new legislation was passed by the UK House of Commons.
[11]
6th Executive of Northern Ireland
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See also
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References
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