First Ministers and deputy First Ministers
The First Minister and deputy First Minister (German: First Minister and Deputy First Minister , Irish : an Céad-Aire agus an leas-Chéad-Aire ) are positions in the executive branch of Northern Ireland . They head the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland ( OFMDFM).
areas of responsibility
The First Minister and his deputy are equal in the execution of their duties and make decisions together. They chair the meetings of the Executive Committee ( English : Executive Committee ) and coordinate the tasks of the committee, which consists of the First Minister, his Deputy and the Ministers of Northern Ireland.
In terms of content, they include responsible for the following subject areas:
- economic policy
- equality
- human rights
- European Union affairs
choice
The Northern Ireland Assembly elects the First Minister, his Deputy and the other Ministers.
Until 2006, the first minister and his deputy could only be elected jointly. With this dual rule , it had to be ensured that there was not only a majority in the assembly, but also a majority within the nationalist and unionist groups. For this purpose, the members of the Assembly were classified as "Unionists", "Nationalists" or "Others".
The St Andrews Agreement , which was agreed in October 2006 between the governments of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and the parties of Northern Ireland, changed the legal basis. Since then, the largest party from the largest group (Unionists or Nationalists) in the Northern Ireland Assembly nominates the First Minister, and the party with the largest number of seats from the other group (Nationalists or Unionists) nominates the Deputy First Minister. There is no longer an election.
Should the incumbent resign, a successor must be appointed and take the oath of office within seven days, otherwise the UK Secretary of State for Northern Ireland will have to set the date for a new election.
However, it is possible to let the office rest for a period of up to six weeks. This happened around January 11, 2010, when First Minister Peter Robinson temporarily left office. Arlene Foster represented him in office until February 3, 2011 . He was again represented by Arlene Foster from September 10 to October 20, 2015. Peter Robinson announced his final retirement from politics on January 11, 2016, after which Arlene Foster succeeded him as First Minister. Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness stepped down temporarily on 19 September 2011 due to his standing in the Republic of Ireland 's late October 2011 presidential election. He was represented until 31 October 2011 by John O'Dowd , also a member of the Northern Ireland Assembly. On January 9, 2017, McGuinness resigned from this post due to ill health.
List of incumbents
First Minister
minister | Political party | taking office | end of office |
---|---|---|---|
David Trimble | Ulster Unionist Party | June 1, 1998 | July 1, 2001 |
Reg Empey (acting) | Ulster Unionist Party | July 1, 2001 | November 5, 2001 |
David Trimble | Ulster Unionist Party | November 6, 2001 | October 14, 2002 |
Northern Ireland Assembly dissolved | October 15, 2002 | May 7, 2007 | |
Ian Paisley | Democratic Unionist Party | May 8, 2007 | May 30, 2008 |
Peter Robinson | Democratic Unionist Party | June 5, 2008 | January 11, 2010 |
Arlene Foster (acting) | Democratic Unionist Party | January 11, 2010 | February 3, 2010 |
Peter Robinson | Democratic Unionist Party | February 3, 2010 | September 10, 2015 |
Arlene Foster | Democratic Unionist Party | September 10, 2015 | October 20, 2015 |
Peter Robinson | Democratic Unionist Party | October 20, 2015 | January 11, 2016 |
Arlene Foster | Democratic Unionist Party | January 11, 2016 | January 9, 2017 |
Arlene Foster | Democratic Unionist Party | January 11, 2020 | June 14, 2021 |
Paul Givan | Democratic Unionist Party | June 17, 2021 | February 3, 2022 |
On October 15, 2002, the Northern Ireland Assembly was dissolved by the British government. During this period the offices of First Minister and Deputy First Minister were held by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. On May 8, 2007, the congregation reconvened.
Deputy First Minister
minister | Political party | taking office | end of office |
---|---|---|---|
Seamus Mallon | Social Democratic and Labor Party | July 1, 1998 | July 15, 1999 |
(Vacant) | July 15, 1999 | November 29, 1999 | |
Seamus Mallon | Social Democratic and Labor Party | November 29, 1999 | November 6, 2001 |
Mark Durkan | Social Democratic and Labor Party | November 6, 2001 | October 14, 2002 |
Northern Ireland Assembly dissolved | October 15, 2002 | May 7, 2007 | |
Martin McGuinness | Sinn Fein | May 8, 2007 | September 19, 2011 |
John O'Dowd (acting) | Sinn Fein | September 20, 2011 | October 31, 2011 |
Martin McGuinness | Sinn Fein | October 31, 2011 | January 9, 2017 |
Michelle O'Neill | Sinn Fein | January 11, 2020 | June 14, 2021 |
Michelle O'Neill | Sinn Fein | June 17, 2021 | February 3, 2022 |
See also
web links
Official website
itemizations
- ↑ Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).
- ↑ The Assembly and Executive. Northern Ireland Assembly Education Service, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).
- ↑ Northern Ireland Act 1998. The National Archives, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).