The Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly is yet to be appointed, following the 2022 election to the seventh

Northern Ireland Assembly sco-ulster, Norlin Airlan Assemblie , legislature = 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, Seventh Assembly , coa_pic = File:NI_Assembly.svg , coa_res = 250px , house_type = Unicameralism, Unicameral , hou ...

held on 5 May. The newly elected assembly will meet for the first time on 13 May, and may elect a First Minister and Deputy First Minister, as well as an executive.

Formation discussions

As leader of the largest party in the Assembly, Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill is expected by commentators to be the leading candidate for the First Minister office, with the party entitled to make the only nomination to the position. Her election would rely on the

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 ...

's agreement to sit on the executive, and serve in the Assembly, something which is in doubt since the party's previous First Minister Paul Givan resigned the post in February 2022, in protest over the Northern Ireland Protocol of the

Brexit agreement The Brexit withdrawal agreement, officially titled Agreement on the withdrawal of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland from the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, is a treaty between the European Uni ...

, the implementation of which unionists have objected to. Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, DUP leader and Member of Parliament for

Lagan Valley The Lagan Valley (, Ulster Scots: ''Glen Lagan'') is an area of Northern Ireland between Belfast and Lisburn. The River Lagan rises on Slieve Croob in County Down and flows generally northward discharging into Belfast Lough. For a section, the ...

secured an MLA position in the eponymous constituency, becoming the presumed choice for Deputy First Minister, but has since announced that the DUP leadership team would decide if he would take that seat, (and thus call a by-election for his Westminister seat), or appoint a proxy. On 12 May, the day before the first scheduled sitting day of the Assembly, Donaldson announced his decision to remain as an MP, and formally co-opted former MP for Belfast South and MLA for Belfast South, Emma Little-Pengelly, to take his seat in the Assembly. The DUP refused to assent to the election of a Speaker, on 13 May and again on 30 May, in further protest to the Northern Ireland Protocol, so the Assembly could not continue to other business, including the appointment of a fresh Executive. The Speaker and incumbent ministers would continue in office in caretaker roles until the Assembly would meet again, or fresh elections are called by the

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland A secretary, administrative professional, administrative assistant, executive assistant, administrative officer, administrative support specialist, clerk, military assistant, management assistant, office secretary, or personal assistant is a w ...

7th Executive of Northern Ireland

References

{{Governments of Northern Ireland Northern Ireland Executive Northern Ireland, Executive of the Northern Ireland Assembly 7th Ministries of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Formation discussions

7th Executive of Northern Ireland

See also

References