Michelle O’Neill appointed Northern Ireland’s first nationalist first minister in historic moment | Politics News
Sinn Fein’s Michelle O’Neill has made history by being appointed Northern Ireland’s first nationalist first minister.
A power-sharing government has returned as politicians gathered at Stormont to appoint a series of ministers to the devolved executive, two years after it collapsed over the UK government’s deal with the EU.
Ms O’Neill has become first minister as the Democratic Unionist Party’s (DUP) Emma Little-Pengelly has been nominated to serve as deputy first minister.
Under the Good Friday Agreement, the deputy has an authority equal to that of the first minister.
In her speech, which began in Irish, Ms O’Neill said: “Today opens the door to the future – a shared future.
“I am honoured to stand here as first minister.”
Michelle O’Neill at Stormont. Pic: Reuters
Ms O’Neill said she was addressing an “assembly for all – Catholic, Protestant and dissenter” and that the public was “relying” on the members of Northern Ireland’s elected assembly.
She added: “We must make power sharing work because collectively, we are charged with leading and delivering for all our people, for every community.”
Ms O’Neill continued: “As an Irish republican I pledge co-operation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition and who cherish the Union… Despite our different outlooks and views on the future constitutional position, the public rightly demands that we co-operate, deliver and work together.”
The first minister also acknowledged that the power-sharing coalition will “undoubtedly face great challenges” but vowed to “serve everyone equally”.
Earlier, former DUP leader Edwin Poots was chosen by members of the assembly as its new speaker.
His party had refused to participate in government at Stormont, arguing that post-Brexit arrangements effectively left a trade border in the Irish Sea between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.
But the DUP, Northern Ireland’s largest unionist party, had signalled it was ready for the recall of the political institutions last month, after agreeing on a deal with the UK government on post-Brexit trade, which party leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson says has removed the so-called Irish Sea trading border.
Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, leader of the DUP
Ms O’Neill’s selection as first minister, made possible after she led Sinn Fein to victory in the 2022 Assembly elections, marks the first time the post has been held by a nationalist committed to seeing Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland united as one country.
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