List of political parties in Northern Ireland
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Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats do not contest elections there (though the Liberal Democrats have links with the Alliance Party), and the Conservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected by single transferable vote and the composition of the Northern Ireland Executive is by power sharing determined by the D'Hondt system, among the members elected to the assembly. Northern Ireland also elects 18 MPs to the House of Commons, and there are elections to 11 local government districts.
Some parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Workers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all-United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland-specific parties and these, on the whole, predominate.
The distinction between "unionist/loyalist", "nationalist/republican" and "other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position on the "Border Question" than on other political issues.
For example, the former Republican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost a socialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly the Workers' Party has its roots in the republican Official IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violent socialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. The Northern Ireland Assembly requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other". This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.
There are some who see the terms "Unionist"/"Loyalist" and "Nationalist"/"Republican" as being of more relevance to the community that the party seeks to represent rather than the position on the border question. Several of the "Other" parties strive to be non-sectarian but have a clear position on the border.
Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, or UK level
Party details
Party representation
| Party | Representation (as of 3 October 2023)[33] | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK Parliament | Assembly | Local councils | |||||
| House of Commons | House of Lords | ||||||
| Sinn Féin | 7 | 0 | 27 | 144 | |||
| Democratic Unionist Party | 5 | 6 | 25 | 122 | |||
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | 1 | 0[nb 1] | 17 | 67 | |||
| Ulster Unionist Party | 1 | 2 | 9 | 54 | |||
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 2 | 0[nb 2] | 8 | 39 | |||
| Traditional Unionist Voice | 1 | 0 | 1 | 10 | |||
| People Before Profit | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | |||
| Green Party Northern Ireland | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | |||
| Progressive Unionist Party | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | |||
| Aontú | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Northern Ireland Conservatives | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Labour Party in Northern Ireland | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |||
- ^ Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Lib Dem whip.
- ^ Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019, resigning from the party to do so.
Other registered parties
Unionist and loyalist
| Party | Founded | Political position |
Ideology | Leader(s) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Heritage Party |
2020 | Right-wing | Euroscepticism British unionism British nationalism Social conservatism Right-wing populism |
|
David Kurten | |
Nationalist and republican
Others
| Party | Founded | Political position |
Ideology | Leader(s) | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Cross-Community Labour Alternative |
2015 | Left-wing | Democratic socialism Anti-capitalism Nonsectarianism |
— | Owen McCracken | — | |
Socialist Party |
1996 | Left-wing to far-left | Democratic socialism Political radicalism[48] Trotskyism[49] Euroscepticism[50] |
— | Collective leadership | — | |
Unregistered parties
Candidates for unregistered parties may choose either to be listed as "Non-Party", or to leave the section blank on the ballot paper, in the same manner as independent candidates.
- 32 County Sovereignty Movement - Does not contest elections, operates as a pressure group
- Anti-Imperialist Action Ireland - Does not contest elections
- Republican Sinn Féin (RSF)
- National Party
- Fine Gael
- Reform UK
Inactive parties
Unionist and loyalist
- Belfast Labour Party
- British Ulster Dominion Party
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Independent Unionist Association
- Labour Unionist Party
- NI21
- UKIP Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- Protestant Coalition
- Ulster Defence Party* (UDP)
- Protestant Unionist Party (evolved into the DUP)
- Ulster Constitution Party
- Ulster Democratic Party
- Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party
- Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
- Ulster Protestant League
- Ulster Resistance
- Ulster Unionist Labour Association
- Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- United Ulster Unionist Council
- United Ulster Unionist Party
- United Unionist Coalition (UUC)
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Volunteer Political Party
Nationalist and Republican
- All Ireland Anti-Partition League
- Federation of Labour
- Fianna Uladh
- Irish Anti-Partition League
- Independent Socialist Party
- Irish Independence Party
- National Democratic Party
- National League of the North
- National Unity
- Nationalist Party
- Northern Council for Unity
- Official Sinn Féin (now Workers' Party)
- People's Democracy
- Red Republican Party
- Republican Congress
- Republican Labour Party
- Saor Éire
- Socialist Republican Party
- Unity
Others
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Communist Party of Ireland (Marxist-Leninist)
- Communist Party of Northern Ireland
- Irish Labour Party (contests elections in the Republic)
- Labour coalition
- Labour Party of Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Labour Party
- Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
- Newtownabbey Labour Party
- Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association
- Natural Law Party
- Social Democratic Party - The post-1988 rump of the party stood in a Northern Ireland by-election in 1990; the party as a whole existed and was more prominent in Great Britain from 1981 to 1988 although the post-1990 rump group still exists.
- Ulster Independence Movement
- Ulster Liberal Party
- Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
- United Labour Party (Northern Ireland)
- Ulster Third Way - deregistered 2005
- Veritas - Dissolved June 2015
- Vote for Yourself Party - disbanded April 2009, de-registered 8 June 2009
- World Socialist Party (Ireland) - Dissolved in the 1990s
Flowchart of all political parties in Northern Ireland
Party leaders
Party leaders serving 10 years or more are
See also
- Politics of Northern Ireland
- Lists of political parties
- Political make-up of local councils in Northern Ireland
- List of political parties in the Republic of Ireland
Notes
- ^ Although Mary Lou McDonald is the party president, O’Neill serves as vice-president and as First Minister, functions as the party’s leader in Northern Ireland.
- ^ Lord Alderdice, leader of the Alliance from 1987–98, has sat in the Lords since 1996, taking the Liberal Democrat whip.
- ^ Margaret Ritchie, leader of the SDLP from 2010–11, has sat in the Lords since 2019 as a Labour peer, resigning from the SDLP to do so.
- ^ In the Northern Ireland Assembly, the party's MLAs sign the register as "socialist" when asked if they are "unionist" or "nationalist", resulting in an official designation of "Other". However, People Before Profit is in favour of Irish reunification.
- ^ Since 2007, Fianna Fáil has been officially registered in Northern Ireland, but has not formally fielded any election candidates as of yet, despite members passing motions to at successive árdfheiseanna.[36] Ógra Fianna Fáil launched cumainn (branches) at QUB and UU in the same year. From 2019 to 2022, it was in partnership with the SDLP.[37]
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