Assembly election candidates named

There are 218 candidates in total for the 108 Six-County Assembly seats up for grabs in the election on May 5, spread over the traditional 18 six-seater constituencies.

Sinn Fein has nominated 40 candidates, including five candidates in West Belfast and four each in Mid-Ulster and West Tyrone.

The DUP has 44 candidates, the largest number, while the Ulster Unionists, who have only 29 candidates, and is not standing in Foyle following Health Minister’s Michael McGimpsey’s hugely unpopular decision to axe cancer services from Derry.

The moderate nationalist SDLP are fielding 28 candidates, including three candidates in the South Down constituency of party leader Margaret Ritchie.

The Alliance Party is standing 22 candidates, its biggest number for an assembly election, the hardline unionist TUV have 12, and the Greens have six.

The election also sees the entry of 12 socialist candidates, including the Workers Party, People before Profit and the Socialist Party. The ‘UK Independence Party’ has six candidates, the fascist British National Party three, and there is one ‘Procapitalism’ candidate.

Sitting Sinn Fein councillor, Pat Cox, is contesting the Assembly as an independent in Fermanagh/South Tyrone after complaints he had been “shafted” by the party. Prominent victims’ campaigner and political maverick Raymond McCord is also running as an independent in north Belfast.

Electioneering so far has been greatly constrained by the fact that, under the terms of the 1998 Good Friday Agreement, all of the parties in the Assembly will again form the next power-sharing administration, in line with party strength.

However, the dominant issues remain the race to become the largest party between Sinn Fen and the DUP, as well as the cuts to the Six-County ‘budget’ at the request of the British exchequer.

Voters will also elect 582 councillors to the North’s 26 councils, and, as is the case in Britain, will also vote in the referendum on whether to change the Westminster elections voting system from the usual first past the post to the “alternative vote” or AV system.

Speaking on the 30th anniversary of the election of Bobby Sands as the MP for Fermanagh and South Tyrone current MP for the area Michelle Gildernew said thirty years ago the people of Fermanagh and South Tyrone “made a stand for freedom, for justice and for peace. They defied Thatcher and her cronies and sent a powerful statement across the world that Irish Republicans would not be criminalised.

“Thirty years on the election of Bobby Sands as our MP remains a defining moment in our history. Far from breaking the Republicans struggle in the H-Blocks as Britain predicted the sacrifices and determination of the prisoners propelled our struggle to new heights.

“Sinn Fein are going into this Assembly election as the only all-Ireland and united Ireland political voice. We have a strategy for a united Ireland and more importantly it is a strategy which is clearly working.”

‘NOT NORTH KOREA’

Meanwhile, TUV leader Jim Allister has called on the DUP and the Ulster Unionist Party to pledge that if Martin McGuinness is in a position to be First Minister, they will not propose anyone for the position of deputy first minister.

Mr Allister contended that rather than creating political deadlock and likely collapsing the Assembly, such a move would help to secure a return of unionist majority rule under a ‘voluntary coalition’.

“You have to go to North Korea to find a country where you are not allowed to have an opposition. Well, we are not North Korea, we are Northern Ireland, and it is vital that we inject back into our system those fundamentals of democracy.”

Mr Allister said the DUP could be a catalyst for change and the creation of a voluntary coalition.

“Do you want more of the same - four more years of squabble, deadlock, waste and inactivity at Stormont, where the biggest success that can be claimed is that the doors are still open, while there’s 60,000 people unemployed, huge waste, phenomenal loss in education and health - or do you want something better?”

Mr Allister ia viewed as having a good chance of taking a seat in North Antrim - where in last year’s Westminster election he lost out to the DUP’s Ian Paisley jnr.

Mr Allister said that “IRA/Sinn Fein” was unfit to hold any office in the Northern Executive. He accused the DUP of propping up “IRA/Sinn Fein” in the executive, adding that “voting for those who put Sinn Fein into government will keep them there”.

“TUV believes that by law we should have no terrorists in government, in contrast to others who happily sit in government with them.”

The following is the full list of candidates for the Assembly election:

East Antrim

Roy Beggs: UUP
Stewart Dickson: Alliance Party
Daniel Donnelly: Green Party
David Hilditch: DUP
Gordon Lyons: DUP
Justin McCamphill: SDLP
Rodney McCune: UUP
Oliver McMullan: Sinn Fein
Steven Moore: British National Party
Gerardine Mulvenna: Alliance Party
Alastair Ross: DUP
Ruth Wilson: TUV
Sammy Wilson: DUP

East Belfast

Tommy Black: Socialist Party
Judith Cochrane: Alliance Party
Ann Cooper: British National Party
Michael Copeland: UUP
Sammy Douglas: DUP
Brian Ervine: PUP
Martin Gregg: Green Party
Chris Lyttle: Alliance Party
Kevin McNally: Workers Party
Robin Newton: DUP
Niall O Donnghaile: Sinn Fein
Dawn Purvis: Independent
Peter Robinson: DUP
Philip Robinson: UUP
Stephen Stewart: Independent
Harry Toan: TUV
Magdalena Wolska: SDLP

East Derry

Bernadette Archibald: Sinn Fein
Gregory Campbell: DUP
Thomas Conway: SDLP
John Dallat: SDLP
Boyd Douglas: TUV
Barney Fitzpatrick: Alliance Party
David Harding: UUP
Lesley Macauley: UUP
David McClarty: Independent
Adrian McQuillan: DUP
Cathal O hOisin: Sinn Fein
George Robinson: DUP

Fermanagh/South Tyrone

Pat Cox: Independent
Kenny Donaldson: UUP
Alex Elliott: TUV
Tom Elliott: UUP
Phil Flanagan: Sinn Fein
Arlene Foster: DUP
Tommy Gallagher: SDLP
Michelle Gildernew: Sinn Fein
Sean Lynch: Sinn Fein
Maurice Morrow: DUP
Hannah Su: Alliance Party

Foyle

Martina Anderson: Sinn Fein
Pol Callaghan: SDLP
Terry Doherty: Independent
Mark H Durkan: SDLP
Colum Eastwood: SDLP
Paul Fleming: Sinn Fein
William Hay: DUP
Eamonn McCann: People Before Profit Alliance
Raymond McCartney: Sinn Fein
Paul McFadden: Independent
Keith McGrellis: Alliance Party
Pat Ramsey: SDLP

Lagan Valley

Pat Catney: SDLP
Jonathan Craig: DUP
Paul Givan: DUP
Brenda Hale: DUP
Mark Hill: UUP
Trevor Lunn: Alliance Party
Basil McCrea: UUP
Edwin Poots: DUP
Conor Quinn: Green Party
Mary-Kate Quinn: Sinn Fein
Lyle Rea: TUV

Mid-Ulster

Harry Hutchinson: People Before Profit Alliance
Austin Kelly: SDLP
Gary McCann: Independent
Hugh McCloy: Independent
Ian McCrea: DUP
Michael McDonald: Alliance Party
Patsy McGlone: SDLP
Martin McGuinness: Sinn Fein
Walter Millar: TUV
Ian Milne: Sinn Fein
Francie Molloy: Sinn Fein
Michelle O’Neill: Sinn Fein
Sandra Overend: UUP

Newry and Armagh

Cathal Boylan: Sinn Fein
Dominic Bradley: SDLP
Mickey Brady: Sinn Fein
Barrie Halliday: TUV
William Irwin: DUP
Danny Kennedy: UUP
James Malone: Independent
Conor Murphy: Sinn Fein
David Murphy: Alliance Party
Thomas O’Hanlon: SDLP
Robert Woods: UKIP

North Antrim

Jim Allister: TUV
Jayne Dunlop: Alliance Party
Paul Frew: DUP
Bill Kennedy: UUP
David McIlveen: DUP
Daithi McKay: Sinn Fein
Declan O’Loan: SDLP
Audrey Patterson: TUV
Evelyne Robinson: DUP
Mervyn Storey: DUP
Robin Swann: UUP

North Belfast

Paula Bradley: DUP
Fred Cobain: UUP
William Humphrey: DUP
Gerry Kelly: Sinn Fein
John Lavery: Workers Party
JJ Magee: Sinn Fein
Alban Maginness: SDLP
Nelson McCausland: DUP
Raymond McCord: Independent
Caral Ni Chuilin: Sinn Fein
Billy Webb: Alliance Party

North Down

Steven Agnew: Green Party
Colin Breen: UUP
Alan Chambers: Independent
Leslie Cree: UUP
Gordon Dunne: DUP
Alex Easton: DUP
Stephen Farry: Alliance Party
Conor Keenan: Sinn Fein
Liam Logan: SDLP
Alan McFarland: Independent
Fred McGlade: UKIP
Peter Weir: DUP
Anne Wilson: Alliance Party

South Antrim

Thomas Burns: SDLP
Trevor Clarke: DUP
Adrian Cochrane-Wilson: UUP
David Ford: Alliance Party
Paul Girvan: DUP
Danny Kinahan: UUP
Pam Lewis: DUP
Mel Lucas: TUV
Mitchel McLaughlin: Sinn Fein
Stephen Parkes: British National Party

South Belfast

Clare Bailey: Green Party
Brian Faloon: People Before Profit Alliance
Mark Finlay: UUP
Anna Lo: Alliance Party
Paddy Lynn: Workers Party
Alex Maskey: Sinn Fein
Conall McDevitt: SDLP
Alasdair McDonnell: SDLP
Michael McGimpsey: UUP
Paddy Meehan: Socialist Party
Ruth Patterson: DUP
Samuel Smyth: Procapitalism
Jimmy Spratt: DUP
Nico Torregrosa: UKIP

South Down

Naomi Bailie: Sinn Fein
Willie Clarke: Sinn Fein
Cadogan Enright: Green Party
David Griffin: Alliance Party
John McCallister: UUP
Karen McKevitt: SDLP
Eamonn O’Neill: SDLP
Henry Reilly: UKIP
Margaret Ritchie: SDLP
Caitriona Ruane: Sinn Fein
Jim Wells: DUP

Strangford

Cecil Andrews: UKIP
Jonathan Bell: DUP
Joe Boyle: SDLP
Mickey Coogan: Sinn Fein
Simon Hamilton: DUP
Kieran McCarthy: Alliance Party
Michelle McIlveen: DUP
David McNarry: UUP
Mike Nesbitt: UUP
Billy Walker: DUP
Terry Williams: TUV

Upper Bann

Sydney Anderson: DUP
Joanne Dobson: UUP
Sam Gardiner: UUP
Harry Hamilton: Alliance Party
Dolores Kelly: SDLP
Colin McCusker: UUP
Johnny McGibbon: Sinn Fein
Sheila McQuaid: Alliance Party
Stephen Moutray: DUP
John O’Dowd: Sinn Fein
Barbara Trotter: UKIP
David Vance: TUV

West Belfast

Alex Attwood: SDLP
Gerry Carroll: People Before Profit Alliance
Colin Keenan: SDLP
Brian Kingston: DUP
Pat Lawlor: Socialist Party
John Lowry: Workers Party
Bill Manwaring: UUP
Paul Maskey: Sinn Fein
Fra McCann: Sinn Fein
Jennifer McCann: Sinn Fein
Dan McGuinness: Alliance Party
Brian Pelan: Independent
Sue Ramsey: Sinn Fein
Pat Sheehan: Sinn Fein

West Tyrone

Michaela Boyle: Sinn Fein
Allan Bresland: DUP
Thomas Buchanan: DUP
Eric Bullick: Alliance Party
Joe Byrne: SDLP
Pat Doherty: Sinn Fein
Ross Hussey: UUP
Declan McAleer: Sinn Fein
Barry McElduff: Sinn Fein
Paddy McGowan: Independent
Eugene McMenamin: Independent

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