Northern Ireland: Unionists block constitution of new government

Michelle O'Neill, leader of Sinn Fein, could become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, after a historic election victory, here on May 9, 2022 in Belfast.

AP - Peter Morrison

Text by: RFI Follow

3 mins

Michelle O'Neill, the vice-president of Sinn Fein, could become the new Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, but the DUP, the unionist party close to Great Britain, refuses to form a government as a key point of the Brexit agreement is not deleted.

The British Minister, Brandon Lewis, went there to speed up the negotiations. 

Advertisement

Read more

Sinn Fein Vice-President Michelle O'Neill

writes our London correspondent

Marie

Boëda

, a former political wing of the IRA in favor of a reunification of Northern Ireland with Ireland, could become Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

after historic election victory

.

But

his attempts to form a new government are blocked by the DUP

, the Unionist party close to Britain, which refuses to appoint a Deputy Prime Minister until a key point of the Brexit agreement is removed . 

" 

Hostage

 "

The Republicans of Sinn Fein thus accused the Unionists on Monday, May 9 of “ 

taking

 the British nation hostage” by refusing to participate in the new government.

Michelle O'Neill called for not punishing the population: “

We are not a pawn of the British government and the European Union.

I fear that Brandon Lewis, the UK government and the DUP are holding our society hostage and that is not acceptable

 ,” she said.

In order to respect the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, the new Prime Minister must indeed have a Unionist Deputy Prime Minister at her side.

Except that the DUP is blocking, and conditions its participation in the resolution of the thorny question of the post-Brexit special status, the " 

Northern Irish protocol 

" which according to him cuts the province from the rest of the United Kingdom.

The message was sent on Monday, May 9.

Until the Northern Irish Protocol is scrapped, there will be no government.

Negotiated between London and Brussels, it draws a border in the sea between Ireland and Great Britain, to avoid the return of a physical border between the province and the Republic of Ireland, a member of the EU.

Key point of Brexit

The unionists do not want it because they consider that this agreement distances them from the United Kingdom.

The protocol indeed introduces controls on goods from Great Britain, and it is denounced by the Unionists as a threat. 

The DUP also fears that the border in the Irish Sea will go in the direction of a reunification of the island of Ireland.

Boris Johnson is trying to renegotiate

this key Brexit point with the European Union.

It is therefore paralysis that now threatens, like the risk that the fragile governance of the nation bereaved by three decades of Troubles between Republicans, especially Catholics, and Unionists, mainly Protestants, will shatter.

Brandon Lewis, Britain's minister for Northern Ireland, said he would continue to press the EU to change the protocol but the DUP must respect the outcome of Thursday's May 5 election.

He called on the province's political parties to form a government " 

as soon as possible

", without convincing the DUP.

The DUP had brought down the head of the local executive in February with the resignation of Prime Minister Paul Givan, to mark the opposition of the party, favorable to Brexit in a province which voted against, in the face of the protocol.

(with AFP)

Newsletter

Receive all the international news directly in your mailbox

I subscribe

Follow all the international news by downloading the RFI application

google-play-badge_FR

  • Ireland

  • North Ireland

  • UK

  • Boris Johnson