Northern Ireland has to go to the polls again. Parliament failed to form a provincial government in time. The political crisis as a result of disagreements over Britain’s exit agreements from the European Union turned out to be inevitable.
The last time Northern Irish people went to the polls was in May. A new government had to be formed within 24 weeks. It failed. Now, according to the law, new elections must be held within twelve weeks.
The blame lies mainly on the fact of the formation failure on the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Because of the agreements on international trade after Brexit, the country’s second party has refused to nominate ministers. According to the DUP, the agreements weakened Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom. On Thursday, the party banned a Final try to form a government.
The DUP had to participate in the formation of a new government, because the Northern Ireland Governing Council should be made up of unionists and republicans. The Republican winner of the election, Sinn Féin, could not ignore the Democratic Unionist Party. But since the election results came out, unionists have refused to cooperate.
Chris Heaton-Harris, the British minister for Northern Ireland, formally announced on Friday that Northern Ireland should return to the vote. The date has not yet been determined. Heaton Harris says he will announce more details next week. Insiders expect a vote in December.
It remains to be seen whether new elections can help break the deadlock. Opinion polls have barely changed since May, and the DUP sticks to the position that the Brexit agreements must first be amended.
