NI Election 2022: first female to take seat in North Antrim
Last updated 7th May 2022
Patricia O'Lynn has become the first female MLA for North Antrim in a double first, also becoming the first Alliance Party member to win a seat in the constituency.
It saw a significant shift in power in the traditional DUP heartland, with Mervyn Storey losing the seat he had held since 2003.
Ms O'Lynn was the fifth and final person elected after a surge of transfers which saw her overtake the DUP stalwart in the final run-in.
Along with Sinn Fein the Alliance Party is the big winner from the election, with a surge of support for the cross-community party likely to make it the third largest at Stormont, ahead of the UUP and SDLP, who have both had disappointing results.
Speaking at the Jordanstown count centre on Saturday after party candidate Patricia O'Lynn had won the final seat in North Antrim from DUP veteran Mervyn Storey, Mrs Long said she was excited about what her party could achieve at Stormont.
She said: "We went to the electorate based on a record of strong delivery in the last two-and-a-half years.
"We need to get in there (Stormont) on Monday because without government we can't deliver anything in Northern Ireland.
"I think given all the challenges that we face, if we squander this opportunity people will not forgive us, so we need to get in there."