The Renewal of Mandates: The 2014 European Election in Northern Ireland

Abstract

The 2014 European election in Northern Ireland, while containing a greater field of candidates than ever before, returned the three sitting Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) without too much disruption to the status quo. Sinn Féin (SF) topped the poll with their candidate Martina Anderson increasing the party's vote and the Democratic Unionist Party's Diane Dodds came in second with a comfortable margin over the third successful candidate, the Ulster Unionist Party's Jim Nicholson. Following up the three MEPs with challenging performances were the Social Democratic and Labour Party's Alex Attwood and the Traditional Unionist Voice leader Jim Allister. Anderson was new to the European elections and regained the seat for SF with ease, being the only candidate to pass the quota on the first count. The tussle between Nicholson, Attwood and Allister turned out to be more competitive for the third seat with only 7,000 first preference votes separating the three. In the end, it was a result that was largely expected. Drawing upon party political manifestos and leaflets, media coverage and other relevant sources, the report assesses the campaign, outcome and consequences of the 2014 European election in Northern Ireland.