Election 2023: Sinn Fein tidal wave leaves republicans in total control of council with outright majority

There are seven different districts within the council, and in all but two of them Sinn Fein brought home at least trio of candidates.

The mathematics now mean that Sinn Fein would be capable of forcing through anything it wants in a full council vote.

That’s because even if the unionists, Alliance, SDLP, and the sole independent forged some unlikely pact together, they would still only have 19 councillors to Sinn Fein’s 21.

Last time around, Sinn Fein had only 15 councillors, not enough to ram through motions in the face of unified opposition.

The party now also has a sibling duo on the council, in the form of John and Anthony Feely, elected to neighbouring districts.

Among those whose term in office has been renewed is Barry McElduff.

The former Sinn Fein MP and MLA for West Tyrone resigned his Westminster seat in 2018 after posting a video of him balancing a loaf of Kingsmill bread on his head on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre.

It was interpreted by some as a slight to the victims – something which Mr McElduff strongly denied, saying that it had just been a joke and had nothing to do with the anniversary.

Unionists however will at least have cause to welcome the exit of republican Bernice Swift from local politics, after she opted not seek re-election.

She used to be in Sinn Fein, but went independent in 2005 “over their policy position in providing political support and endorsing British policing in Ireland”, and had campaigned against the extradition of Omagh bomber Liam Campbell to eastern Europe.

The results were:

SF: 21 (+6)

UUP: 7 (-2)

DUP: 6 (+1)

SDLP: 3 (-2)

Alliance: 2 (+1)

Ind: 1 (-3)

Other: 0 (-1)

Here’s who was elected:

Enniskillen:

Keith Elliott, DUPEddie Roofe, AllianceTommy Maguire, Sinn FeinRoy Crawford, UUPDermot Browne, Sinn FeinRobert Irvine, UUP

Erne East:

Sheamus Greene, Sinn FeinPaul Robinson, DUPThomas O’Reilly, Sinn FeinNoeleen Hayes, Sinn FeinVictor Warrington, UUPGarbhan McPhillips, SDLP

Erne North:

Debbie Coyle, Sinn FeinDiana Armstrong, UUPDavid Mahon, DUPJohn Feely, Sinn FeinJohn McClaughry, UUP

Erne West:

Anthony Feely, Sinn FeinElaine Brough, Sinn FeinDeclan McArdle, Sinn FeinAdam Gannon, SDLPMark Ovens, UUP

Mid Tyrone:

Padráigín Kelly, Sinn FeinRoisin Devine-Gallagher, Sinn FeinAnne Marie Fitzgerald, Sinn FeinPatrick Withers, Sinn FeinShirley Hawkes, DUPBernard McGrath, SDLP

Omagh:

Barry McElduff, Sinn FeinErrol Thompson, DUPCatherine Kelly, Sinn FeinMarty McColgan, Sinn FeinStephen Donnelly, AllianceJosephine Deehan, Independent

West Tyrone:

Mark Buchanan, DUPGlenn Campbell, Sinn FeinAllan Rainey MBE, UUPAnn-Marie Donnelly, Sinn FeinColette McNulty, Sinn FeinStephen McCann, Sinn Fein

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