The 1986 Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election was one of the fifteen

1986 Northern Ireland by-elections The 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections were fifteen by-elections held on 23 January 1986, to fill vacancies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom caused by the resignation in December 1985 of all sitting Unionist (Ireland), Unionist Member ...

held on 23 January 1986, to fill vacancies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom caused by the resignation in December 1985 of all sitting Unionist Members of Parliament (MPs). The MPs, from the

Ulster Unionist Party The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the Irish Home Rule movem ...

Democratic Unionist Party The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) is a unionist, loyalist, and national conservative political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1971 during the Troubles by Ian Paisley, who led the party for the next 37 years. Currently led by J ...

and

Ulster Popular Unionist Party The Ulster Popular Unionist Party (UPUP) was a unionist political party in Northern Ireland. It was founded in 1980 by James Kilfedder, independent Unionist Member of Parliament for North Down, who led the party until his death in 1995. For a ...

, did this to highlight their opposition to the

Anglo-Irish Agreement The Anglo-Irish Agreement was a 1985 treaty between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland which aimed to help bring an end to the Troubles in Northern Ireland. The treaty gave the Irish government an advisory role in Northern Irela ...

. Each of their parties agreed not to contest seats previously held by the others, and each outgoing MP stood for re-election. The

Ulster Unionist The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is a Unionism in Ireland, unionist political party in Northern Ireland. The party was founded in 1905, emerging from the Irish Unionist Alliance in Ulster. Under Edward Carson, it led unionist opposition to the I ...

candidate

Ken Maginnis Kenneth Wiggins Maginnis, Baron Maginnis of Drumglass (born 21 January 1938), is a Northern Irish politician and life peer. Since December 2020, he has been suspended from the House of Lords, where he formerly sat for the Ulster Unionist Party ( ...

was able to survive with less than 50% of the vote due to a split Nationalist vote.

References

Other References

British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-elections
* ttp://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fw86.htm Northern Ireland Elections: Westminster by-elections 1986 Fermanagh and South Tyrone by-election By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Fermanagh constituencies By-elections to the Parliament of the United Kingdom in County Tyrone constituencies 20th century in County Fermanagh 20th century in County Tyrone {{Ireland-UK-Parl-by-election-stub