Northern Ireland's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, was last night forced to sit through a recount of votes in his Upper Bann constituency to see if he would retain his seat, despite securing a winning margin of 2,050 votes on the original count. The recount increased his winning margin by eight votes.
The DUP candidate, Mr David Simpson, secured 15,040 votes and demanded the recount, which was granted by the returning officer at the Banbridge count centre.
The Ulster Unionist Party leader, who originally received 17,092 votes, described the decision to allow the recount as "totally ridiculous".
As the recount began at 8 p.m. it was forecast he would hold his seat, but it appeared his winning margin would fall from the 9,252-vote margin he secured in the 1997 Westminster elections.
The Sinn Fein candidate, Ms Dara O'Hagan, polled 10,770, almost double her party's vote in the constituency in 1997.
Ms O'Hagan said she was delighted with the result. "It reflects a growth in the Sinn Fein vote throughout the six counties. We've turned the tables and become the largest nationalist party in this constituency. People have acknowledged the work we have done and we are positive of building on this."
The SDLP's Ms Dolores Kelly secured 7,608 votes, a decrease on the 11,584 votes secured by Ms Brid Rogers in the last Westminster elections.
Ms Kelly said her party was taking consolation from the fact that the pro-agreement vote in the constituency stood at 36,000, compared to the 15,000 polled by Mr Simpson. She accepted that 3,000 Alliance voters and 3,000 SDLP voters had supported Mr Trimble.
Last night, Mr Simpson claimed the UUP should change its name to the Ulster Unionists/SDLP Alliance.
"It is now clear that we (the DUP) speak for the majority of the unionist community in Upper Bann," he said.
Mr Trimble, who was heckled on his arrival at Seapatrick Parish Hall in Banbridge, said the decision to recount was unreasonable.
Speaking to The Irish Times, he said his party's probable victory in just six constituencies, a loss of three seats, would "have to do".
"We will win a majority of the popular vote," he added.
Deputy First Minister Seamus Mallon beat off a strong Sinn Fein challenge in Newry-Armagh. Mr Mallon polled 20,784 votes (37.4 per cent of the total vote) compared to 17,209 (30.9 per cent) for Sinn Fein's Mr Conor Murphy.
At the Banbridge count, the SDLP deputy leader said: "It is certainly clear that a large number of people in this electorate reacted emotionally.
"But efforts to ensure we get real reconciliation will not cease and we are not going to allow the new dispensation to evaporate or die because of some elections results."