Election 2022: Sinn Fein pair first past the post in South Down with seats almost certain for Alliance, DUP and SDLP

Sinn Fein candidates Sinead Ennis and Cathy Mason were elected in South Down without the need for transferred votes.
By Graeme Cousins
Published 6th May 2022, 19:14 BST
Updated 6th May 2022, 19:31 BST
DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe and her election team react to her polling 6,497 first preference votes, Belfast Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe and her election team react to her polling 6,497 first preference votes, Belfast Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.
DUP South Down candidate Diane Forsythe and her election team react to her polling 6,497 first preference votes, Belfast Photo by Kelvin Boyes / Press Eye.

The quota to be elected was 9,159 votes and Ms Ennis topped the poll with 14,381 first preference votes.

Ms Mason was just behind her with 9,963 votes.

Transfers will play a part in deciding the order in which the next three candidates are elected – Alliance’s Patrick Brown with 6,942 first preference votes, Diane Forsythe of the DUP with 6,497 and SDLP’s Colin McGrath with 6,082.

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It would seem unlikely that those three miss out on a seats considering the next nearest candidates are around 3,000 votes behind.

Ms Forsythe was reluctant to count her chickens given that SDLP’s Karen McKevitt (on 3,006 first preference votes) could be boosted by transfers.

That said her campaign team were confident that she had won the seat.

Related topics:SDLPSinn FeinDUP