Sinn Féin vice-president Michelle O’Neill has said her historic elevation to Northern Ireland’s first nationalist First Minister represents a “new dawn” in Northern politics.
The 47-year-old Co Tyrone woman was appointed to the top position in the Stormont Government on Saturday following two years of political deadlock.
Addressing the Assembly Chamber in Parliament buildings, she pledged to work with unionists and said it was an “Assembly for all – Catholic, Protestant and dissenter”.
“As an Irish republican I pledge co-operation and genuine honest effort with those colleagues who are British, of a unionist tradition and who cherish the Union,” she said.
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Ms O’Neill told the Chamber she was “sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict – without exception”.
In the 103 years since Stormont was established, there have been 11 unionist leaders at the head of the North’s devolved government.
“This is a historic day which represents a new dawn,” Ms O’Neill said after affirming her pledge of office. “For the first time ever, a nationalist takes up the position of First Minister. That such a day would ever come would have been unimaginable to my parents and grandparents’ generation.
“Because of the Good Friday Agreement that old state that they were born into is gone. A more democratic, more equal society has been created, making this a better place for everyone. This place we call home, this place we love, North of Ireland or Northern Ireland, where you can be British, Irish, both or none, is a changing portrait.”
DUP Lagan Valley MLA Emma Little-Pengelly was elected Deputy First Minister in what was an expected move by the DUP. Her party colleague, Edwin Poots, took the role of Assembly Speaker, succeeding Sinn Féin’s Alex Maskey.
The recall of the Assembly took place two years to the day since the DUP collapsed the powersharing institutions in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements.
The breakthrough followed the DUP’s decision to end its boycott of the institutions after agreeing a deal with the UK government earlier this week which, according to DUP party leader Jeffrey Donaldson, will effectively remove the so-called Irish Sea border for goods destined for the North from Britain.
Ms Little-Pengelly acknowledged that her appointment, along with Ms O’Neill’s (the First and Deputy First Minister posts are a joint office), was “recognised by many today” as a “historic moment”.
While the roles are intended to be equal in power, the appointment of a nationalist to First Minister is hugely symbolic.
“Michelle O’Neill and I come from very different backgrounds,” Ms Little-Pengelly said. “Regardless of that, for my part, I will work tirelessly to ensure that we can deliver for everyone in Northern Ireland.”
She added: “Michelle is an Irish republican, and I am a very proud unionist. We will never agree on those issues but what we can agree on is that cancer doesn’t discriminate and our hospitals need [to be] fixed.”
Following the appointment of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, Alliance Party leader Naomi Long was confirmed as Minister for Justice, a post she held in the last Assembly.
The remaining seven ministers who will serve in the new powersharing government were then nominated by their parties under the D’Hondt system – whereby ministerial positions are allocated to reflect each party’s vote share in the last Assembly election.
As the largest party, Sinn Féin had the first nomination and selected outgoing Stormont finance minister Conor Murphy as the new Minister for the Economy.
The DUP nominated Paul Givan as Minister for Education – a move which led to Sinn Féin asking for a short adjournment as it was believed the DUP would nominate one of its MLAs for the finance post.
Sinn Féin then nominated its East Derry MLA Caoimhe Archibald as Minister for Finance before the DUP nominated Gordon Lyons as Minister for Communities.
Despite speculation that the two largest parties would take on the health portfolio – both have repeatedly said the deteriorating health service was a priority from the incoming Government – it was the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) who took the portfolio, with UUP MLA Robin Swann returning to the job he held during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The nominations concluded with Sinn Féin selecting John O’Dowd as infrastructure minister and Alliance nominating Andrew Muir as minister for agriculture and environment.
The final appointments of Stormont’s two junior Ministers went to Sinn Féin’s Aisling Reilly and the DUP’s Pam Cameron, with both serving in the Executive office.
As expected, SDLP MLA Matthew O’Toole was confirmed as leader of the official Opposition.
Throughout Saturday’s proceedings, hardline Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) leader Jim Allister – one of the most vocal opponents of the post-Brexit trade deal brokered between the UK government and the DUP – criticised the restoration of the institutions, branding it the “consummation of Donaldson’s deal” and “a day of glee and gloating for republicanism”.
“We have a Sinn Féin Minister for all but not in my name. I’ll never bow the knee ...” Mr Allister told the Chamber.
DUP MLA Gordon Lyons responded to Mr Allister – who heckled Mr Lyons throughout – by calling him an “angry man” who “has absolutely nothing to offer the people of Northern Ireland”.
In her speech following her appointment, Ms O’Neill urged all MLAs to be “respectful of each other”.
“We must make powersharing work because, collectively, we are charged with leading and delivering for all our people, for every community,” she said. “In common cause we must make life better for workers, families, communities. To create hope and opportunity.
“The days of second-class citizenship are long gone. Today confirms that they are never coming back.”
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