South Down: Sinn Féin's candidate Caitríona Ruane topped the poll in South Down, closely followed by the SDLP's Margaret Ritchie.
Both parties are battling to gain a third seat but late last night it looked like the Ulster Unionist Party would hold on to its seat without reaching the quota.
Three candidates were elected: Sinn Féin's Ms Ruane and William Clarke, and Ms Ritchie. It looked like the division of seats would remain the same - two SDLP, two Sinn Féin, one DUP and one UUP.
The SDLP was hopeful that the three quotas Eddie McGrady got in Westminster would transfer to the Assembly election. Mr McGrady is not standing in this election.
In terms of first-preference votes, the SDLP's candidates had just 328 more votes than Sinn Féin.
Ms Ruane said she was delighted that the party's vote was up 15 per cent on the 2003 Assembly elections.
Both parties were also hoping to gain from the retirement of the UUP's Dermot Nesbitt from the Assembly election. However, his successor as candidate, John McAllister, was holding on as the battle continued late last night in the Lisburn Leisureplex.
Tallymen were predicting that Mr McAllister would hold on without reaching the quota of 6,588 votes.
Early on the DUP's sitting MLA Jim Wells was expected to be elected. "This time we've run a second candidate," he said. "I'm in and it could well be our second candidate is tussling for the second seat, which is quite remarkable." ...
Marie O'Halloran