First Ministers and deputy First Ministers

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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:

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

  1. ↑ Ministerial Code. Northern Ireland Executive, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).
  2. ↑ The Assembly and Executive. Northern Ireland Assembly Education Service, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).
  3. ↑ Northern Ireland Act 1998. The National Archives, accessed 23 May 2017 (English).