‘Towards a Lasting Peace’? The Northern Ireland Multi-Party Agreement, Referendum and Assembly Elections of 1998

Abstract

The agreement signed by the Irish and British governments and most of the political parties in Northern Ireland on 10 April 1998 (Good Friday) was a truly historic step. The agreement itself marks the most significant shift in party political positions since the partition of Ireland. This, coupled with the fact that the agreement is open-ended, and indeed under its provisions must develop beyond its existing provisions, means that an analysis of the evolution of party political attitudes during the development of the peace process is essential in order to understand the agreement significance significance. This article gives a brief summary of the key provisions of the agreement, analyses the processes which led the different parties towards a position where agreement was possible and examines the referenda which ratified the agreement North and South and the election results to the new Northern Ireland Assembly - the publids first opportunities to pass judgement on the efforts of their politicians.