The regional parliament in Belfast elected 47-year-old Michelle O’Neill from the Sinn Fein party as First Minister on Saturday. This means that the former civil war region is now led by a politician who is striving for reunification with EU member Ireland.
However, O’Neill must govern together with the largest Protestant party, the DUP, which advocates political union with Great Britain and will in future provide a deputy head of government with equal rights. Commentators nevertheless spoke of a historic development.
Protest against special Brexit rules
The previous government in Belfast collapsed two years ago to the day. Since then, the DUP has refused its required participation in protest against special Brexit rules for Northern Ireland. She argued that the agreement reached with the EU endangers the union of Northern Ireland and Great Britain. The party recently agreed with the British central government on a document that emphasized state unity and then gave up its opposition. The Good Friday Agreement, which ended the civil war in Northern Ireland in 1998, provides for a unity government between the two sectarian camps.
