1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election

1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election
← 1969 28 June 1973 1975 →

All 78 seats to the Northern Ireland Assembly
40 seats were needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Brian Faulkner Gerry Fitt Ian Paisley
Party UUP SDLP DUP
Leader since 23 March 1971 21 August 1970 30 September 1971
Leader's seat South Down Belfast North North Antrim
Seats won 31[nb 1] 19 8
Seat change Decrease5 new Increase8
Popular vote 258,790 159,773 78,228
Percentage 35.8% 22.1% 10.8%
Swing Decrease12.4% new Increase7.0%

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Oliver Napier William Craig None
Party Alliance Vanguard West Belfast Loyalist Coalition
Leader since 1972 9 February 1972 n/a
Leader's seat Belfast East North Antrim None
Seats won 8 7 3
Seat change new new new
Popular vote 66,541 75,709 16,869
Percentage 9.2% 10.5% 2.3%
Swing new new new

  Seventh party
 
Leader Vivian Simpson
Party NI Labour
Leader since 1969
Leader's seat Belfast North
Seats won 1
Seat change Decrease1
Popular vote 18,675
Percentage 2.6%
Swing Decrease5.5%

Percentage of seats gained by each of the party

Chief Executive before election

Brian Faulkner as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland

Chief Executive after election

Brian Faulkner

The 1973 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place following the publication of the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals which proposed a 78-member Northern Ireland Assembly, elected by proportional representation. The proposals for a Northern Ireland Assembly contained in the White Paper were put into effect through the Northern Ireland Assembly Act 1973 in May 1973.[1]

A cross-community coalition of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) under Brian Faulkner, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland was agreed in November, and following the Sunningdale Agreement, a Power Sharing Executive was established from 1 January 1974. After opposition from within the UUP and the Ulster Workers Council Strike, the executive and assembly collapsed in May 1974.


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  1. ^ "Northern Ireland Assembly Act 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1973 c. 17