Your MLAs, Your Constituency

Democracy is about representation.

We elect Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) to the Northern Ireland Assembly. They speak for us and make decisions about local issues on our behalf.

There are 108 MLAs, six from each of the 18 constituencies. Because we elect MLAs, they have the right, or mandate, to represent everyone in their constituencies in the Assembly’s decision-making. They also appoint the Executive Committee, a group of Ministers who control entire Government Departments.

The allocation of positions in the Executive Committee is based on how many seats each party wins in the election. The more seats a party wins, the more positions it has round the Executive table. The more positions a party holds in the Executive Committee, the greater its power to shape Policy, Legislation and decisions.

The fourth election to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place on 5 May 2011.

218 candidates contested 108 seats in 18 constituencies. 15 of the candidates were independents, nominated by 14 separate political parties.

The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Sinn Féin (SF) were the two largest parties in the Assembly, as they had been in the 2007 election. Out of the Assembly’s 108 seats, the DUP won 38 and Sinn Féin won 29. The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) won 16 seats, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) 14, and the Alliance 8. The Green Party, Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and an independent candidate won one seat each.

Peter Robinson of the DUP and Martin McGuinness of Sinn Féin were nominated, and subsequently re-elected, as First Minister and deputy First Minister respectively.

You can use this resource to analyse the performance of the political parties in the last two Assembly elections and to view the MLAs currently elected in each constituency.