Fresh Northern Ireland elections on hold as EU and UK hope for protocol breakthrough

The calling of fresh Northern Ireland elections is being put off amid hopes a breakthrough in talks between the EU and UK on resolving the dispute over Brexit could lead to a restoration of the powersharing institutions.

Northern Ireland is facing a fresh election within 12 weeks after the latest deadline for the restoration of the Assembly was missed on Thursday.

There was no expectation the North’s political institutions would be re-established ahead of the deadline as the DUP – which is blocking the formation of an executive as part of its protest against the Northern Ireland protocol – had repeatedly made clear its position has not changed.

British and Irish ministers met in Dublin on Thursday for a British-Irish Intergovernmental Conference with both sides stressing the importance of restoring the Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive as soon as possible.

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Britain’s Northern Ireland secretary Chris Heaton-Harris said deadlines were set out in law for the holding of elections in the North and he had 12 weeks to call one.

He said he would speak to all parties adding: “You will be aware that there are also important talks going on in Brussels between the UK government and the European Union.

‘Very determined’

“And if we can solve one problem we might be able to solve the other so I think it’s worth me taking the time to consider my options.”

On the possibility that the DUP could still refuse to re-enter power-sharing even if there was a EU-UK deal, he said he would not pre-empt their response.

[ Brexit-backing minister ‘proud’ of Eurosceptic role in improving Ireland-UK relations ]

Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin said he had met all parties in the North and they were all “very determined” to go back into the Assembly including the DUP.

He said DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson had “made that point to me repeatedly and I accept his bone fides in that regard”.

Mr Martin added: “We have to allow space and time in respect first of all of the talks between the EU and the United Kingdom.”

He said there was a “mountain that has to be climbed but I do think it’s worth the effort”.

Constitutional position

The DUP Assembly member Emma Little-Pengelly restated her party’s opposition to the Northern Ireland protocol on Thursday, saying Mr Heaton-Harris “knows the key to unlocking progress is to deal with the protocol, to respect our constitutional position and restore Northern Ireland’s place within the UK internal market.

“Either the problems created by the protocol are resolved or basis for the restoration will not exist,” she said.

[ Northern Secretary will not call Assembly election right away ]

[ UK-EU talks on Northern Ireland Protocol continue as expectation of a deal grows ]

Mr Heaton-Harris has approximately six weeks before he must decide whether to call an election which, according to the legislation, must take place at the latest on April 13th.

He could also decide to avoid an election by bringing forward new legislation to extend the deadline, as happened in October.

The Sinn Féin vice-president and first minister designate, Michelle O’Neill, accused the Northern secretary’s “dithering, delay and indecision and a do-nothing approach to ending the DUP’s blockade” and challenged the UK government to “clearly spell out to the people, and to us as political leaders, what it is doing to restore the Assembly and executive the people voted for.

“The progress made towards reaching an agreement on the protocol must be built on and talks between the British government and the EU intensified,” she said.