« Back to Accord

Electoral/Political Party Reform: Northern Ireland Good Friday Agreement

Implementations

Electoral/Political Party Reform – 1998

Before the Good Friday Agreement in 2008, elections of the Northern Ireland Assembly were held based on the Proportional Representation Single Transferable Vote or PR (STV) electoral system. As a matter of fact, Northern Ireland had this electoral system in place since 1985, the year in which the 1962 Election Lat Act (Part 4 of Schedule 1) was changed to a PR (STV) electoral system in the local elections.² The 1998 elections were held based on a PR (STV) electoral system.

The Electoral Commission, “The Single Transferable Vote in Northern Ireland,” The Electoral Commission, Accessed January 23, 2013, http://www.electoralcommission.org.uk/__data/assets/electoral_commission… Northern Ireland Act (1998), which was enacted as a result of the Good Friday Agreement, reaffirmed the existing PR (STV) electoral system for the election of members of the new Northern Ireland Assembly.¹“Northern Ireland Act 1998,” The National Archives, accessed January 23, 2013, http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1998/47/contents.

Electoral/Political Party Reform – 1999

The 1998 Act maintained the PR(STV) electoral system in Northern Ireland. Elections were held in 2007 based on this electoral system.