The power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland constituted a historic turning point with the inauguration of Sinn Fein leader Michelle O'Neill, the first nationalist politician to lead the government in Belfast (French).

London -

After a political vacuum that lasted for more than two years, the severe political crisis that struck Northern Ireland found its way to a solution, after agreeing to appoint the leader of the Irish Nationalist Party, Sinn Féin, as First Minister of Northern Ireland, in a historic transformation that ended the sharp differences between the nationalists who supported Irish secession. Northerners and unionists supporting the British Crown regarding the status of Northern Ireland after Britain's exit from the European Union.

The "power-sharing" agreement between the two political rivals in Northern Ireland - which is one of the most important provisions of the "Good Friday" agreement that ended violence that spanned three decades - not only restores calm to the Irish island, but also maintains the stability of Britain's relations with both the Europeans and the Americans.

For more than two years, the separatist nationalist Sinn Féin party, which is described as the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, has been unable to form an executive government due to the Democratic Unionist Party’s refusal to join the government and its members’ boycott of the work of the General Assembly (Parliament).

The "Good Friday" agreement, which was signed in 1998, stipulates the necessity of reaching an understanding to "share power" according to which neither political rival can rule without the participation of the other party, as the leading party heads the government while its political opponent assumes the position of deputy prime minister, and enjoys the powers equal to him.

However, the Democratic Unionist Party’s insistence on boycotting in the past two years has plunged the country into a state of political paralysis, with which popular anger escalated towards the failure of the political class to resolve the crisis, and more than 150,000 government employees announced a strike in protest against the failure to raise wages despite high inflation rates, which forced This time, the political parties are forced to sit at the solution table.

Terms of agreement

The concessions made by London regarding the status of Northern Ireland after the Brexit agreement remained a subject of discussion and discussion at the negotiating table between the British government and the Unionist Party until the last minute, before the party members decided to approve the agreement and end their boycott of the General Assembly and the executive branch in Northern Ireland.

The final version of the agreement stipulated easing the control procedures and documents required for the entry of goods from Britain into Northern Ireland, with the exception of procedures imposed for security reasons, in addition to affirming the constitutional status of Northern Ireland as an integral part of the territory of the United Kingdom, and granting elected politicians the right to review and monitor any laws. European in connection with the situation of Northern Ireland.

The British government also agreed to increase the support granted to the executive government in Northern Ireland to reach $3.8 billion, with the aim of improving the quality of public services.

This agreement, which was approved by the British House of Commons a few days ago, comes nearly a year after the European Union and Britain reached what is known as the “Windsor Framework” as an amended version of the “Protocol on Northern Ireland,” on which hopes were placed to open the way to an agreement. Another ends the political crisis on the Irish island, but the unionists then saw that Brussels' concessions were insufficient and affected the territorial integrity of the United Kingdom, and still forced merchants to deal differently with Northern Ireland.

Michelle O'Neill is one of the political figures that emerged in the period after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Ireland (Getty)

A woman making history

Reviving the power-sharing agreement in Northern Ireland not only ended a raging political crisis, but also constituted a historic turning point with the inauguration of the leader of the separatist Sinn Fein party, Michelle O'Neill, the first nationalist politician to lead the executive government in Northern Ireland, which had lived for decades under the influence of a violent conflict between supporters. Secession from Britain and loyalists to the British crown led to the deaths of 3,500 people.

Michelle O'Neill, 47 years old, is one of the young political figures who emerged during the period after the end of the armed conflict in Northern Ireland, as her father is considered one of the leaders of the Irish Nationalist Party, and her presence at the head of the executive authority is the first time that a woman has held the position. This position is in the British Province.

During her speech before members of Parliament at Stormont Palace in Northern Ireland, O'Neill called for the establishment of a "new political era," noting that the presence of the Irish Nationalist Party at the head of the government is a historic transformation that her father's generation could not have imagined would happen.

The political vacuum that Northern Ireland has witnessed over the past two years has left the United States (Getty)

American welcome

US President Joe Biden was the first to welcome the end of the political crisis in Northern Ireland, stressing, in a statement issued by the White House, the importance of returning the functioning of constitutional institutions, and the necessity of continuing dialogue between the various political parties in order to consolidate the gains that have been achieved since the signing of the peace agreement.

The political vacuum that Northern Ireland has witnessed over the past two years has been exacerbated by the United States, whose President, Joe Biden, visited the capital, Belfast, last year in order to urge political opponents to restart the peace agreement.

This British boycott is considered a very sensitive area for Washington, as politics and history intersect, and through it the American President strongly recalls his Irish origins and the role that his country played as a sponsor of the peace agreement known as “Good Friday,” and through it the level of tension in its relationship with Britain is determined.

Source: Al Jazeera