Smaller parties are the biggest winners in council elections
Last updated 5th May 2019
There has been a surge in support for Northern Ireland's smaller parties in the local government elections.
Alliance saw a 65% rise in representation, with its number of seats rising from 32 to 53.
The Greens also topped the polls in many areas, picking up additional seats in a number of councils.
However, the political landscape in Northern Ireland stays much the same as the DUP remains the country's largest with 112 seats.
The UUP lost 13 councillors, the SDLP seven and the TUV fell from 13 seats in the 2014 council elections to just 6 seats.
Sinn Fein kept all its 105 seats but its first preferences fell slightly by 0.8%.
Despite fears of voter apathy, just under 700 thousand ballots were cast on Thursday, a turnout of almost 52%.
Round up of 2019 council elections
- DUP - 112
- Sinn Fein - 105
- Alliance - 53
- SDLP - 59
- UUP - 75
- Independent - 23
- Green - 8
- TUV - 6
- PBAP - 5
- PUP - 3
- AONTU - 1
- CCLA - 1
Overview
The Green party's Mal O'Hara was elected to Belfast City Council in what has been a hugely successful election for his party in Northern Ireland's capital.
Holding a rainbow flag, he celebrated with a kiss from his partner and a hug from party leader Clare Bailey.
The Ulster Unionist Party suffered some of its biggest causalities with the loss of high-profile Belfast councillor Jeff Dudgeon.
In a disastrous election for his party in Belfast, Mr Dudgeon was eliminated on the third stage of the count.
The SDLP also lost some of its seats after gaining 12% of first preference votes - a drop of 1.6%.
In Omagh, a former MP who resigned after angering relatives of 10 Protestants shot dead in a sectarian massacre won a council seat.
Barry McElduff was forced to resign his Westminster seat last year amid an outcry after he posted a video of himself balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head.
It was posted on his Twitter account on the anniversary of the Kingsmill atrocity, which saw 10 workmen shot dead by republicans in Co Armagh on January 5 1976.
DUP leader Arlene Foster said she did not believe Mr McElduff has recognised the hurt and pain he caused to victims in Northern Ireland.
Meanwhile, the son of murdered Belfast solicitor Pat Finucane was elected to Belfast City Council.
John Finucane was elected on the first count of the Castle district electoral area - which encompasses parts of north Belfast - with 1,650 votes, just behind the Alliance Party's Nuala McAllister, who attracted 1,787 votes.
In further controversy, Mrs Foster said she will consider comments made by former health minister Jim Wells about the DUP's first openly gay councillor in Northern Ireland.
The leader said her party will look at a number of issues including "bad behaviour'' by members after the local elections have concluded.
It comes after Mr Wells said his former leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, would have been "aghast'' at the decision to run gay DUP candidate Alison Bennington.
The DUP's founder once led a campaign to, in his words, "Save Ulster from Sodomy'' and prevent the decriminalisation of homosexuality.
Mrs Foster said Mr Wells should not have made the comments to the media.
Independent republican councillor Gary Donnelly topped the poll in the Moor district electoral area of Derry City and Strabane District Council.
He is considered one of the public faces of dissident republicanism in Northern Ireland.