The DUP quits electoral race in favour of rival UUP
In a sign that unionist parties in Northern Ireland are panicking about the near future, the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) has announced that it will not contest the Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat at the general election.
The DUP leader, Arlene Foster, justified the decision on the grounds of bolstering unionist solidarity ahead of the general election scheduled for December 12.
The DUP’s decision means that, from the unionist side, the seat will now be solely contested by the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), which is the second largest unionist party, behind the DUP.
The Fermanagh and South Tyrone seat is currently held by Sinn Fein’s Michelle Gildernew.
Setting out the terms and conditions of a new unionist pact, Foster claimed that the DUP believes in “Unionist cooperation” and placing the “wider interest” ahead of “narrow party politics”.
There have been similar unionist pacts before but they proved to be short-lived. In March 2015, the DUP and UUP agreed on a “pact” in four constituencies, including Fermanagh and South Tyrone.
The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP), which is regarded as Irish nationalist, described the 2015 DUP-UUP pact as a “sectarian carve up”.
A similar sectarian motive appears to be on the agenda today as the unionists panic in the face of the political momentum of the Irish nationalist community led by Sinn Fein.
Brexit uncertainty, coupled with Northern Ireland’s broader political crisis, has strengthened the Irish unity movement.
Sinn Fein’s vice-president, Michelle O’Neill, told the Evening Standard on October 24 that Brexit will bring about Irish reunification “within a generation”.
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