Northern Ireland Secretary of State urges for stable administration at Stormont

In his first response Saturday to the results of the Northern Ireland assembly elections, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland James Brokenshire called for participants in the process to establish a strong and stable devolved administration at Stormont.

"This election has demonstrated the clear desire by the overwhelming majority of people in Northern Ireland for inclusive devolved government. Everyone now has a shared responsibility to engage intensively in the short period of time that is available to us, to ensure that a strong and stable administration is established," James Brokenshire said.

The unionists emerged from Thursday's elections for the first time ever without a majority, with the pro-republican Sinn Fein making massive gains. Sinn Fein reduced the margin to just one seat, winning 27 assembly seats, just one less than the 28 won by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The DUP leader Arlene Foster and Sinn Fein's new leader Michelle O'Neill now have three weeks to establish a government.

Under Northern Ireland's power-sharing agreement, the government must be run by Irish nationalists and unionists together.

If they fail to establish a working government in Northern Ireland, Brokenshire has the power to call another snap election, or introduce direct rule of the region from Westminster. Endit