Citizens of Northern Ireland who are eligible to vote may vote again within 12 weeks. Since parliament has failed to form a government within the 24-week legal deadline since the last ballot in May, that is the only option. British Minister for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris formally announced this on Friday, reports Reuters news agency. The date of the new elections has not yet been set, but they are likely to take place in December.
Northern Ireland has been in a political stalemate for nearly nine months, with no operational governance. In February, disagreements arose over the trade agreements made over Northern Ireland after Britain’s departure from the European Union. The country’s second party, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), believes those agreements weaken Northern Ireland’s position in the United Kingdom. The party therefore refuses to nominate ministers, while by law the Northern Ireland board must consist of both unionists and republicans.
The DUP and Northern Ireland’s largest party Sinn Féin were unable to agree on a solution to the conflict, despite the approaching deadline. An adjustment of the trade agreements would have consequences for Northern Ireland’s ties with the European Union — and therefore with Member State Ireland. This is sensitive because many Northern Irish people, with Sinn Féin at the forefront, aspire to join Ireland. Whether the new elections can break the deadlock remains to be seen: both Sinn Féin and DUP seem to want to stand their ground.