Northern Ireland Assembly

The Northern Ireland Assembly is a home rule legislature established in Northern Ireland under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement but currently under suspension. The Assembly is a unicameral body consisting of 108 members elected under the Single Transferable Vote form of proportional representation. The Agreement is an accord aimed at bring an end to Northern Ireland's violent thirty year Troubles. The Assembly is based on the principle of power-sharing, in order to ensure that both communities in Northern Ireland, unionist and nationalist, participate in governing the region. When not suspended it has power to legislate in a wide range of areas and to elect the Northern Ireland Executive (cabinet). It sits at Parliament Building at Stormont in Belfast.

Related Topics:
Home rule - Legislature - Northern Ireland - Good Friday Agreement - Unicameral - Single Transferable Vote - Proportional representation - Troubles - Unionist - Nationalist - Northern Ireland Executive - Parliament Building - Stormont - Belfast

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The Assembly was first convened in 1998 but attempts to secure its operation on a permanent basis have been frustrated by disagreements between the two biggest unionist parties and Sinn Féin, the largest nationalist party, which is linked to the Provisional IRA. Unionists have refused to participate in the Good Friday Agreement's institutions alongside Sinn Féin until they are assured that the IRA will discontinue all of its activities, decommission its arms and disband. Because of this disagreement the Assembly has been suspended on a number of occasions; the current period of suspension began in October 2002. (In 1973-1974, there briefly existed another Northern Ireland Assembly; see Sunningdale Agreement for more information.)

Related Topics:
1998 - Sinn Féin - Provisional IRA - 2002 - 1973 - 1974 - Sunningdale Agreement

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