Paisley tops N.Irish vote, Blair urges power share
09 Mar 2007 19:14:40 GMT Source: Reuters
(Edits throughout) By Paul Hoskins BELFAST, March 9 (Reuters) - Protestant cleric Ian Paisley's pro-British party strengthened its hold on Northern Ireland's assembly, final election results showed on Friday, and Britain stepped up pressure on him and Catholic rivals to share power. Wednesday's provincial vote was widely viewed as a test of support for a government bringing together Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and old foe Sinn Fein, which is allied to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and wants a united Ireland. The DUP took 36 of the 108 seats in the Northern Ireland assembly, six more than at the last election in 2003. Sinn Fein was up four seats at 28. More moderate Protestant and Catholic parties sank to 18 and 16 seats respectively. While both the biggest parties favour reviving local government in theory, they still do not talk to each other. Britain has given them until March 26 to agree to share power or face the indefinite continuation of direct rule from London, imposed five years ago after the moderate parties failed to make a joint government work. "The basis upon which the election was called and fought was that people would then go into devolved government," said British Prime Minister Tony Blair after meeting his Irish counterpart Bertie Ahern in Brussels. "The mandate that has been given to the parties from people in Northern Ireland is to get on and do the business." Blair and Ahern have tried for nearly a decade to achieve a lasting settlement for Northern Ireland. A 1998 peace deal largely ended three decades of violence in which 3,600 people were killed. PAISLEY TO DECIDE Key to whatever happens next will be 80-year-old Paisley, one of the most enduring figures of Northern Ireland's political landscape. He is now expected to emerge as First Minister in any new government. The deep-voiced clergyman has left the door open to power sharing, to the dismay of some former supporters, but emphasises he must first be convinced of Sinn Fein's commitment to peace. He said this week it had to "turn from its evil ways". British Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain met Paisley in his heartland of Ballymena on Friday to discuss the next steps. They drove off together without comment to reporters. If there is no deal with Sinn Fein, Britain has said it will give Dublin more say over Northern Ireland. That would not suit Paisley, but he has also refused to be bound by the deadline. Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams repeated his readiness for power sharing and said there was a need to be "tolerant and patient" with Paisley's party. "If they end up in the institutions, as we think they will with the rest of us, then we forgive them for their colourful language," Adams said after a separate meeting with Hain. There was little support in the election for radicals who accuse Sinn Fein of betraying the IRA's three-decade fight against British rule, or for those unionists who believe there should be no talks with anyone linked to the IRA. Although the more moderate Protestant and Catholic parties were sidelined, there were signs of a small shift from sectarian politics. The cross-community Alliance Party took one more seat, taking its tally to seven, while the Green Party won its first. The last assembly never sat for a full day after it was elected in 2003. (Additional reporting by Adrian Croft in Brussels)
