Fresh power-sharing talks to begin
Politicians to meet in bid to restore devolution
Last updated 7th May 2019
New power-sharing discussions are to get underway at Stormont on Tuesday.
The UK and Irish governments announced a new talks process to try to break the political stalemate after Lyra McKee's murder.
Politicians faced mounting pressure to agree amid fears around dissidents exploiting the vacuum.
Leaders of the five main parties have been invited to Stormont House for an opening meeting on Tuesday afternoon.
It is unlikely meaningful negotiations will take place the same day, the focus is mainly on how the process will run in the days and weeks ahead.
Last week's local council elections saw a surge in support for middle ground parties such as Alliance.
The result was seen as a sign of growing frustration at the political situation in Northern Ireland.
While the DUP and Sinn Fein failed to make predicted gains at council level, they are still the region's two main political parties.
The last power-sharing government collapsed in January 2017 after the late Martin McGuinness quit as Sinn Fein Deputy First Minister, due to the RHI scandal.
The fallout over RHI was soon overtaken by disputes over the Irish language, the region's ban on same-sex marriage and the toxic legacy of the Troubles.
A number of attempts to find a deal to restore the institutions have failed.
The last process broke down last February.
Sinn Fein said DUP leader Arlene Foster had agreed a draft deal to re-enter devolved government that included concessions on the Irish language, a claim Mrs Foster denied.
Many of the disputes are linked to a controversial voting mechanism that enables blocs of unionists and nationalists to veto measures which command overall majority support in the Assembly.
A number of the smaller parties are calling for changes to the contentious petition of concern, believing its reform could unlock several logjams at the heart of Stormont's impasse.
With the UK Government reluctant to reintroduce direct rule from Westminster, Northern Ireland has operated in a political limbo for the last two years, with senior civil servants being left to run public services.
Those civil servants are seriously hamstrung, unable to make key policy decisions in the absence of elected ministers.
As a consequence, numerous governmental decisions are in abeyance with many major policy initiatives in cold storage.