Political landscape set for change
Political careers and aspirations were coming to an end in Northern Ireland tonight as the close of polling neared.
With a number of key seats expected to change hands, the political landscape in the North could be very different by tomorrow night.
The newly-returned British Prime Minister may find solving the political impasses an even more intractable problem.
However, Taoiseach Bertie Ahern said his government stood ready to resume work on the peace process with the political parties after the election.
Speaking in Dublin, Mr Ahern said: “Whatever happens today and tomorrow, the Irish Government is ready to take things on.
“I will hope to have an early date for talks with whatever Prime Minister is elected tonight and get on with the business. “
The new government and the make up of the next House of Commons will be known well before vote counting even gets under way in Northern Ireland.
A 9am start – rather than an overnight count – will see results trickling out during the afternoon, but with close races in several of the 18 constituencies, recounts are being predicted.
A total of 105 candidates are chasing those seats and more than ever the outcome of the fight between the Democratic Unionist Party and the Ulster Unionist Party on the one side and Sinn Féin and the SDLP on the other is likely to determine the future of the peace process.
Nearly one million people were eligible to vote at over 600 polling stations.
There has been some speculation that apathy about the failures of the peace process could lead to a low turn out. However, low by Northern Ireland standards is the kind of high politicians in the rest of the UK would give their right arms to achieve.
Electoral officials were hoping there was not too much confusion among electors who were required to vote in both the Westminster election and the local government elections and use two different systems of voting.
Voters entering polling booths were individually given reminders that it was a single X for the candidate they wanted as an MP but the 1,2,3 etcetera of proportional representation for local councillors on the second ballot paper. There are 918 hopefuls chasing 582 seats on 26 councils.
The local council count does not start until Monday and will take two days.
In Derry clergymen and teachers stepped forward in a bid to stop ritualistic polling night attacks on police escorting election officers collecting ballot boxes in parts of the city.
They were providing the ballot box escort instead of police in a scheme backed by the chief electoral officer and involving five schools used as polling stations.
Charlie O’Donnell, principle of Holy Child Primary School in the Creggan area, is one of those involved and said they hoped to break the cycle of violence which for years has surrounded the close of poll.
“I don’t think it has any political motive at all,” he said. “I think it is just a source of entertainment for the young people who seem to hang around corners and when it comes to the close of poll, look for the PSNI to throw stones at.”
