Politician and church leader Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist party (DUP), strengthened by victory in the Northern Ireland assembly elections, on Friday came under intensive pressure to enter a power-sharing government with Sinn Fein.
Both British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Irish Taoiseach Bertie Ahern urged Northern Ireland's political parties not to miss an "opportunity of historic proportions" to re-establish a devolved administration at Stormont.
In a joint statement the two prime ministers declared: "The message of the electorate is clear: after so many years of frustration and disappointment, they want Northern Ireland to move on to build a better future together through the devolved institutions."
PHOTO: EPA
The DUP, which secured 30 percent of first preference votes in the election, yesterday once again dismissed the governments' deadline for a deal of March 26 and insisted that Sinn Fein had yet to demonstrate unqualified support for the police and courts.
In the immediate aftermath of regaining his Ballymena seat, Paisley declared: "The hard negotiations are now going to start. Sinn Fein are not entitled to be at the table until they declare themselves for democracy."
But Northern Ireland secretary Peter Hain, said the deadline was immoveable: "The people in the election voted overwhelmingly for a power-sharing executive to be in place on March 26. Now it's time for the politicians to do their jobs for the first time in four years. It's time for Stormont to work or close down. The fact that the DUP were elected on a clear mandate to go into government -- provided certain conditions were met, and I'm sure those conditions can be met -- has cleared the way for inclusive, power-sharing government for the first time in history. We have never been in a position where the people have spoken with such clarity."
In a sign of frustration, a popular BBC local radio show hosted by Stephen Nolan ran a text poll in which 83 percent of respondents called for politicians to enter government without further talks.
Counting continued all afternoon to sort out the final members of the new assembly.
In terms of first preference votes, the DUP led the field with 30 percent, Sinn Fein secured 26 percent, the nationalist Social Democratic and Labour Party 15 percent, the Ulster Unionist party just under 15 percent and the cross-community Alliance party 5 percent.
Both the DUP and Sinn Fein will be involved in hard-fought negotiations with the Treasury over the size of any financial package awarded to the province.
Hain and both prime ministers have warned that if a deal is not agreed by March 26 they will impose a form of direct rule in which the Irish government is given an enhanced role in running the province.
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