Sinn Féin win big in NI local authority elections, Alliance gains more ground

The campaign for the NI local authority elections was dubbed drowsy and slow by some, but the results of the election could not have contrasted more, sending shockwaves across Ireland as a nationalist party had won the most seats for the first time.

Individual Party Performance

Sinn Féin performed better than anticipated in the elections, winning 144 seats in total and shattering the 140 seat glass ceiling. The party gained seats on every single council, and won a majority of seats on Fermanagh and Omagh — the first party to win a majority on any council since 2011 — with 21 out of 40 seats.

The DUP retained all of their 122 councillors, despite speculation that the party would lose votes and seats to the TUV. Although a sigh of relief by from some in the party, unionism as a combined political bloc declined in this election.

The non-aligned Alliance Party, in what seemingly reflects demographic trends, continued its growth winning 67 seats, up 14 from 2019. In reaction to the initial results on ITV news, party leader Naomi Long MLA (Belfast East) said that her party is “in it for the long haul” and that they are “very pleased” with the result.

Nationalist SDLP and unionist UUP, in what is becoming a reoccurring theme, lost 41 seats between them. This is the biggest decline for the legacy parties on local authorities since 2005.

The TUV, in a similar story to the 2022 NI Assembly election, almost doubled their vote share but this failed to materialise in substantial seat gains. Although the party did win three additional seats, there was a considerable gap between the number of seats lost by other unionist parties and the number of seats gained by the TUV. Many of these seats went to the Alliance party and nationalist parties.

All other smaller parties (GP, PBP, PUP, AON, CCLA) lost seats in the election. The GP and PBP both lost three seats each, and the leader of the Greens lost his seat in Belfast. It was the second election cycle in a row a sitting leader of the GP lost their seat.

Community Breakdown

Including Independents, the community breakdown returned was as follows, as per Ireland Votes analysis:

Nationalists (SF, SDLP, PBP, AON, INDs) won 195 seats with 43.97 percent of the first preference votes. Unionists (DUP, UUP, TUV, PUP, INDs) won 192 seats with 39.91 percent of first preference votes. Non-aligned parties (AP, GP, SP, CCLA, INDs) won 73 seats with 15.08 of first preference votes. Ireland Votes is unable to allocate two councillors and approximately 0.7 percent of first preference votes to the community groups due to insufficient information.

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Codlatach agus mall a glaoch roinnt ar an bhfeachtas do thoghcháin údaráis áitiúil TÉ, ach ní fhéadfadh torthaí an toghcháin a bheith i gcodarsnacht níos mó, rud a chuir tonnta suaite ar fud na hÉireann mar gur bhuaigh páirtí náisiúnach an líon is mó suíochán don chéad uair riamh.

Feidhmíocht na bPáirtithe

D’fheidhmigh Sinn Féin níos fearr ná mar a ceapadh sna toghcháin, ag buachan 144 suíochán san iomlán agus ag briseadh an tsíleáil ghloine de 140 suíochán. Ghnóthaigh an páirtí suíocháin ar gach comhairle amháin, agus bhuaigh siad tromlach na suíochán ar Fhear Manach agus An Ómaigh — an chéad pháirtí a bhuaigh tromlach ar chomhairle ar bith ó 2011 — le 21 as 40 suíochán.

Choinnigh an PAD gach ceann den 122 comhairleoir atá acu, ainneoin tuairimíocht go gcaillfeadh an páirtí vótaí agus suíocháin don GTA. Cé gur osna faoisimh é ó roinnt sa pháirtí, tháinig meath ar aontachtachas mar bhloc comhcheangailte polaitíochta sa toghchán seo.

Lean an Páirtí Comhaontas neamh-ailínithe lena fhás, i rud a léiríonn treochtaí déimeagrafacha, ag buachan 67 suíochán, suas 14 ó 2019. Mar fhreagra ar na torthaí tosaigh ar nuacht ITV, dúirt ceannaire an pháirtí Naomi Long CTR (Béal Feirste Thoir) go bhfuil a páirtí “isteach é le fada an lá” agus go bhfuil siad “an-sásta” leis an toradh.

Chaill an náisiúnach PDSLO agus an aontachtach PAU, i dtéama a thagann chun cinn arís agus arís eile, 41 suíochán eatarthu. Seo an laghdú is mó do na páirtithe oidhreachta ar údaráis áitiúla ó 2005 i leith.

Bhí an GTA, i scéal cosúil le toghchán Thionól TÉ 2022, beagnach dhá oiread a sciar vótaí i gcomparáid leis an toghchán deireanach ach níor tháinig sé seo chun cinn i ngnóthachan suíocháin shuntasacha. Cé gur bhuaigh an páirtí trí shuíochán breise, bhí bearna mhór idir líon na suíochán a chaill páirtithe aontachtacha eile agus líon na suíochán a ghnóthaigh an GTA. Chuaigh go leor de na suíocháin seo chuig an Páirtí Comhaontas agus páirtithe náisiúnacha.

Chaill gach páirtí níos lú eile (CG, PRB, PAF, AON, MLOT) suíocháin sa toghchán. Chaill an CG agus an PRB araon trí shuíochán an ceann, agus chaill ceannaire na CG a shuíochán i mBéal Feirste. Ba é an dara timthriall toghcháin as a chéile a chaill ceannaire an CG a shuíochán.

De Réir Comhphobal

Agus Neamhspleáigh san áireamh, bhí an miondealú pobail a tugadh ar ais mar seo a leanas, de réir anailís Vótálann Éire:

Bhuaigh náisiúnaithe (SF, PDSLO, PRB, AON, NSanna) 195 suíochán le 43.97 faoin gcéad de na vótaí céad rogha. Bhuaigh Aontachtaithe (PAD, PAU, GTA, PAF, Nsanna) 192 suíochán le 39.91 faoin gcéad de vótaí céad rogha. Bhuaigh páirtithe neamh-ailínithe (PC, CG, PS, MLOT, Nsanna) 73 suíochán le 15.08 de vótaí céad rogha. Níl Vótálann Éire in ann beirt chomhairleoirí agus thart ar 0.7 faoin gcéad de vótaí céad rogha a leithdháileadh ar na grúpaí pobail mar gheall ar easpa eolais.