uuptoday.org

In a statement after the final results of the Assembly election today, UUP Leader Sir Reg Empey said,“We respect the decision of the electorate who want to see the outworking of the last stages of negotiations between the DUP and Sinn Fein. The ‘battle a day’ scenario that parties at opposite ends of the political spectrum offer is, however, likely to further alienate a vast swathe of the general public.

The Ulster Unionist Party is committed to representing the values of moderate, constructive unionism. A sizeable number of people who voted for us did so because they want those values to have a voice in Northern Ireland politics.

Our commitment to devolution and a functioning Executive has been made clear in the election campaign. We now wait to see if others will deliver devolution or the stagnation of continued Direct Rule.

Like any political party in any election campaign, we would have wished for more seats. I pay tribute to all Ulster Unionist candidates, election agents and activists who campaigned hard, and ensured that the voice of Ulster Unionism was heard during this election.

Particular mention must be made of those of my colleagues from the last Assembly who will not be in this Assembly. I thank them for their commitment to Northern Ireland and their public service. Many of them have been central to the hard decisions undertaken by this Party over the past 10 years. Their efforts have made Northern Ireland a better place for all of us.

In the next few weeks other parties will have to finally make the hard decision about devolution and power-sharing. Northern Ireland needs devolution. A failure to restore the devolved institutions will lead to ‘joint management’ from London and Dublin – robbing the people of Northern Ireland of accountable government.”