Sinn Fein, DUP dominate successes in Northern Ireland assembly election

Counting is underway in the Northern Ireland elections on Friday with the pro-republican Sinn Finn and pro-unionist DUP dominating the early results.

Election officials announced that the number of people voting in the elections for seats in the devolved Northern Ireland Assembly has increased by 10 percent compared to the last elections less than a year ago.

Just under 65 percent of voters in Northern Ireland voted in Thursday's elections, called after the resignation of the assembly's deputy first minister, Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness.

His resignation triggered the collapse of the assembly with the DUP's Arlene Foster also losing her job as first minister.

Under Northern Ireland's power sharing agreement if one leader goes, the other also goes.

After a quarter of the 90 seats were declared, Sinn Fein were first in 11 seats, the DUP in 8, and three of the minority parties won five seats between them. DUP leader Foster topped the poll in her Fermanagh and South Tyrone constituency.

There was a media scrum as Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams arrived at the main Belfast counting center in the Titanic Quarter of the city.

Votes are being counted at eight centers across Northern Ireland with the final results not due to be declared until Saturday afternoon.

Once all the results are in, the two leading parties, almost certainly Sinn Fein and the DUP, will engage in talks about restoring the assembly.

If they fail to agree, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, an appointee of Prime Minister Theresa May, has the power to call a fresh election to break any deadlock. It could also mean power being transferred from Stormont to direct rule from Westminster. Endit