General Information
At stake in this election:
- 108 seats in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Description of government structure:
- Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
- Head of Government: Prime Minister Anthony (Tony) BLAIR
- Assembly: Northern Ireland (part of the United Kingdom) has a unicameral Northern Ireland Assembly with 108 seats.
Description of electoral system:
- The Queen is hereditary N/A.
- In the Northern Ireland Assembly 108 members are elected by proportional representation to serve 5-year terms.***
*** Six representatives are elected in each of the region's 18 constituencies.
Main parties in the electoral race:
- Party: Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
- Leader: Ian PAISLEY
- Seats won in this election: 36
- Seats won in last election: 30
- Party: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP)
- Leader: Reg EMPEY
- Seats won in this election: 18
- Seats won in last election: 0
- Party: Sinn Fein (SF)
- Leader: Gerry ADAMS
- Seats won in this election: 28
- Seats won in last election: 24
- Party: Social Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP)
- Leader: Mark DURKAN
- Seats won in this election: 16
- Seats won in last election: 18
- Party: Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI)
- Leader: David FORD
- Seats won in this election: 7
- Seats won in last election: 6
- Party: UK Unionist Party (UKUP)
- Leader: Bob MCCARTNEY
- Seats won in this election: 0
- Seats won in last election: 1
- Party: Progressive Unionist Party (PUP)
- Leader: Dawn PURVIS
- Seats won in this election: 1
- Seats won in last election: 1
- Party: Green Party (GP)
- Leader: John BARRY
- Seats won in this election: 1
- Seats won in last election: 0
- Party: Conservative and Unionist Party (CUP)
- Leader: David CAMERON
- Seats won in this election: 0
- Seats won in last election: 0
- Party: Workers Party (WP)
- Leader: John LOWRY
- Seats won in this election: 0
- Seats won in last election: 0
Population and number of registered voters:
- Population: 1,700,000 ( 2007 est.)
- Registered Voters: 1,107,904 (March 2007 )