Sinn Féin to take top Stormont post - McGuinness
Sinn Féin will occupy either the First or Deputy First Minister’s post in the next power-sharing government at Stormont, Martin McGuinness claimed tonight.
As Northern Ireland’s politicians embarked on another week of campaigning for the November 26 Assembly Election, the Mid Ulster MP predicted his party would overtake Mark Durkan’s rival nationalist SDLP in the Assembly.
He also forecast the Rev Ian Paisley’s Democratic Unionists would not emerge the largest unionist party.
“Coming out of the last Assembly we had 18 seats,” Mr McGuinness said.
“We expect to increase dramatically on that this time around and I think there is a real sense in the community and wider afield that that is most definitely going to happen.
“That will effectively put us, as the largest nationalist party, in the running for the position of First and Deputy First Minister.”
Mr McGuinness urged supporters to frustrate parties opposed to the Good Friday Agreement by voting first for Sinn Féin candidates and then transferring to other pro-Agreement parties in the proportional representation election.
He continued: “I will tell you my prediction. The DUP aren’t going to come out on top.
“I think there is no doubt that the DUP is going to increase its representation but I don’t know how it is going to increase its representation in a fashion that can destroy the peace process or the full and faithful implementation of the Good Friday Agreement.”
Democratic Unionist MP Gregory Campbell said Mr McGuinness’s comments and recent SDLP attacks on his party showed nationalists were worried about the prospect of the DUP overtaking David Trimble’s Ulster Unionists.
“Martin McGuinness and (SDLP leader) Mark Durkan’s recent comments seem to bear out what we are hearing on the doorsteps – that there’s a good vote for the DUP,” the East Derry MP said.
“There is so much disillusionment with the Ulster Unionists, voters want a new hand on the unionist tiller.
“Nationalists tell us there will be no renegotiation of the Agreement after the election but these comments would suggest otherwise. It appears they believe after November 26 they will have to negotiate with the DUP as the majority unionist party.”
Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble was heckled by a group of three women and two men as he canvassed for the party’s West Belfast Assembly candidate Chris McGimpsey on the loyalist Shankill Road.
After he was accused of being “a traitor” to unionism and was told to “go look for votes on the (nationalist) Falls Road”, the Upper Bann MP shrugged off the criticism.
“I got a warm reception from local people,” he said.
Mr Trimble said he was actually encouraged from the feedback he was receiving from voters.
“All the indications to us are that the Ulster Unionist vote is going to improve on, not just 1998 (Assembly Election) but 2001 (Westminster and local government elections),” he said.
“I would be very disappointed if we don’t stretch our lead over the DUP in this election.”
During campaigning in Derry, nationalist SDLP leader Mark Durkan called for 2,000 civil service jobs to be moved away from Belfast to boost the economy of other towns and cities in Northern Ireland.
The Foyle Assembly candidate also vowed his party would target investment in areas of high unemployment, remove all cross border trading imperatives and expand rural transport initiatives.
In another attack on the DUP, he added: “We need to stand against those whose agenda is to destroy the Agreement.
“This means that the DUP and the other No men must be stopped.”
