Alex Attwood has been politically active since his student days, when he was president of the Students' Union at Queen's. A qualified solicitor, he was a Belfast City Councillor for Upper Falls from 1985 and was first elected to the Assembly in 1998. He served as the Minister of the Environment and the Minister for Social Development on the Northern Ireland Executive. He has also been a member of the NI Policing Board and is the SDLP's justice spokesperson.
Constituency: Belfast West
| Electorate | Seats | Total Poll | Turnout | Valid Poll | Spoiled Votes | Quota |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 61,309 | 5 | 40,930 | 66.76% | 40,344 | 586 | 6,725 |
Vote Distribution
Left Right
Count Results
| Candidate | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
6918 | |||
|
|
6346 | 6451 | 7036 | |
|
|
6201 | 6314 | 6636 | 7067 |
|
|
5466 | 5515 | 5739 | 5903 |
|
|
4903 | 6514 | 8252 | |
|
|
4063 | 4372 | 4490 | 4521 |
|
|
3452 | 4019 | ||
|
|
1096 | |||
|
|
747 | |||
|
|
486 | |||
|
|
415 | |||
|
|
251 |
On the Ballot
Conor Campbell contested his first election in the West Belfast constituency in 2016. The main focus of his campaign is opposition to austerity policies. He is also calling for better mental health provision and more help for those dealing with the effects of drugs.
In 2016 Gerry Carroll was elected as an MLA for West Belfast on the first count after topping the poll. A staunch socialist he has also represented the Black Mountain electoral area on Belfast City Council where he described himself as "a thorn in the side, disturber of the political peace". A long-time activist, he travelled to Edinburgh for the Make Poverty History protest, aged just 16. He studied politics at Ulster University and was president of the Students Union.
Michael Collins was co-opted to Belfast City Council in 2016 to replace Gerry Carroll. He is the second PBPA candidate running in West Belfast. A long time PBP activist in the west of the city, he said he was honoured to have been chosen by PBP members in the area to represent them in this election.
Sorcha Eastwood is a former pupil of St Dominic's High School and graduate of UUJ. She has an HR management background, working previously for the NHS and now in the manufacturing sector. She is passionate about addressing youth unemployment and says she is a strong advocate for the urgent improvement our mental health services need.
Orlaithi Flynn was co-opted to replace Jennifer McCann as West Belfast MLA in December 2016. A former adviser to Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey, the 28-year-old is a graduate of both Ulster University and Queen's University, Belfast.
Alex Maskey is Sinn Fein's longest serving elected representative. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1983, the first Sinn Fein councillor in the city hall and the first ever Sinn Fein Lord Mayor. A member of Sinn Fein's Ard Chomairle, he was elected to the Assembly in 1998 where he has served as the party's chief whip and on several committees. He was interned twice in the 1970s and was seriously injured in a loyalist gun attack in 1987. Mr Maskey was a successful amateur boxer.
Veteran republican Fra McCann is the Six County chairperson of Sinn Fein and a long-serving elected representative. He was elected to Belfast City Council in 1987 and the Assembly in 2003. A former internee and prisoner, he spent three years on the Maze "blanket protest". Mr McCann was secretary of the Divis Residents Association and a campaigner for improved leisure services.
A Belfast City Councillor since 1997, Frank McCoubrey has been Deputy Lord Mayor and High Sheriff of Belfast. He sits on the People and Communities Committee and is also on the board of Belfast Harbour Commissioners. Mr McCoubrey, who was formerly a member of the Ulster Democratic Party and then an independent councillor, joined the DUP in 2012. He's well known throughout the Greater Shankill area for his community work, particularly on housing and education issues.
Community activist Ellen Murray was Ireland's first openly transgender election candidate in 2016. Ms Murray, who has blogged about her gender reassignment surgery, promised to give a voice to women, young people and the LGBT community. She opposes welfare cuts and supports sustainable transport.
Fred Rodgers is a former Ulster Unionist Councillor for Belfast and the chairman of Ballysillan Community Initiatives Ltd.
Pat Sheehan was co-opted to the Assembly in 2010 to replace Gerry Adams and was elected in 2011. A member of the Policing Board, he sat on the Assembly's Education Committee. Mr Sheehan spent 18 years in prison during which he was on the blanket protest and on hunger strike twice. In 1981 he went for 55 days without food and was critically ill before a halt was called to the hunger strike. In prison, he gained a degree in philosophy and politics and after his release worked for the republican ex-prisoners' organisation Coiste na n-Iarch
