Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 1998
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The first elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on June 25, 1998.
The result was (first preference votes only) -
| Party | Votes | Vote % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Social Democratic and Labour Party | 177,963 | 21.99 | 24 |
| Ulster Unionist Party | 172,225 | 21.28 | 28 |
| Democratic Unionist Party | 145,917 | 18.03 | 20 |
| Sinn Féin | 142,858 | 17.65 | 18 |
| Alliance Party of Northern Ireland | 52,636 | 6.50 | 6 |
| UK Unionist Party | 36,541 | 4.52 | 5 |
| Independent Unionists | 24,339 | 3.00 | 3 |
| Progressive Unionist Party | 20,634 | 2.55 | 2 |
| Northern Ireland Women's Coalition | 13,019 | 1.61 | 2 |
Although the SDLP won the most first preference votes, the Ulster Unionists won the most seats in the Assembly. This has been attributed to several reasons, including:
- Slightly differential turnouts across the province, with the result that in the more staunchly unionist east fewer votes were required to elect an MLA than in the SDLP's heartlands in the west.
- The Ulster Unionists proved better at "vote balancing" whereby in the rounds of transfers their candidates were less likely to be eliminated earlier on.
- The Ulster Unionists proved better at attracting transfers from other parties (and due to the vote balancing mentioned above, were more likely to be a position to benefit from this)
See also: Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003