Everything Ulster - Election 2005

MUCH to my own personal distaste, the DUP are soaring ahead in the local government elections in Northern Ireland with 170 seats (50 seats have still to be declared). Now that we're into the second day of polling the DUP have outperformed the already optimistic expectations of most pundits.

Participants in Nicholas Whyte's predictions competition expected the DUP to win, on average, just under 160 seats. The Ulster Unionists were expected to get around 130 and maybe even beat Sinn Fein into 3rd place but this doesn't seem to be the case. Sinn Fein are 13 seats in front of the UUP with 116 to the UUP's 103, so pending a late swing it looks like being a disappointing 3rd for the Ulster Unionists.

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Tom Ekin still hasn't been elected (or eliminated) in Belfast so again, best of luck Tom. Alan Greer is hanging in in Newtownabbey (Ballyclare ward?) for the Conservatives and could well become the only Conservative councillor in Northern Ireland and I wish him all the best as well.

Current state of play, courtesy of the BBC.