BBC Article: 2022 Elections
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-60786728
This BBC article came out just after the 2022 assembly vote in which Sinn Féin not only triumphed over the SDLP but also placed ahead of all other parties on the ballot. In other words, for the first time ever, a nationalist party was the largest party in Northern Ireland (Tonge 2022). While Sinn Féin’s triumph in the nationalist community vote was expected, considering their consistent outperforming of the SDLP since 2001, the 2022 election revealed other intriguing shifts in the electoral landscape.For instance, the SDLP came in with their lowest seat and vote count to date Additionally, the Alliance Party, Northern Ireland’s non-sectarian party, gained support. This indicated a transition towards non-sectarian politics at large (Tonge 2022). Yet, Sinn Féin, the party that used to represent a slew of policies and positions antithetical to electoral politics, still reigned supreme (Tonge 2022).
Over time, Sinn Féin has moderated its message and strategically positioned itself to be the foremost party among nationalists. Moreover, this strategy has worked in tandem with the tactic of painting the SDLP to be especially sympathetic to the British. As a result of these political maneuvers and electoral devices, Sinn Féin has become the largest party in all of Northern Ireland. In doing so, however, they have not only become a part of but the leading force within the “illegitimate” government they had initially sought to overthrow. To some extent, this is contrary to their original mission, but if not for their acknowledgement of the influence of electoral power in the early eighties, they likely would not have the grasp on Northern Ireland as a whole that they do today.
