Ronan Kerr tribute after NI election results

Peter Robinson pledged to use his party’s best Assembly election result to build a shared future for all in memory of the officer.

Sinn Fein’s Martin McGuinness also committed his party to working in partnership at Stormont.

While Sinn Fein claimed an extra seat, the Ulster Unionists and the nationalist SDLP both lost two Assembly spots, while the cross-community Alliance party gained a seat and could secure a ministerial portfolio as a result.

After his success Mr Robinson said: “I want to dedicate this victory to the memory of young Ronan Kerr, a young man who at 25 years of age was blown into eternity by the hands of evil men.

“But he had a vision for Northern Ireland and he wanted to serve his community.

I therefore not only dedicate the victory to Ronan but dedicate myself to the vision that he had. Peter Robinson

“And in the words of his mother, she wanted to ensure that people would come out and support the way forward, peacefully, in Northern Ireland to have a united community, a shared society, that they might go forward with real opportunity and real hope.”

The DUP leader added: “I therefore not only dedicate the victory to Ronan but dedicate myself to the vision that he had.”

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Election results

In the 2007 Assembly election the DUP took 36 seats, Sinn Fein 28, the Ulster Unionists 18, the SDLP 16 and Alliance took seven.

Each of the 18 constituencies return six Assembly members and after two long days of counts, the battle for the last seat proved crucial in determining the final make-up of the new Stormont administration.

In the end the DUP took 38 seats, Sinn Fein 29, UUP 16, SDLP 14 and Alliance eight.

The leader of the hard line Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) Jim Allister took a seat in North Antrim after the ninth count and without reaching the quota. But he pledged to hound Sinn Fein and challenge the power-sharing government from within the Assembly.

The Greens’ Stephen Agnew snatched a seat in North Down to keep his party at Stormont, while the sole independent will be former Ulster Unionist David McClarty who stood after being de-selected by his local branch.

The election results were at times overshadowed by wrangles over delayed vote counting across Northern Ireland, but it was clear from an early stage that the dominance of the two big players in the unionist and nationalist blocs was to continue.

The strength of the DUP and Sinn Fein was underlined when the counts ended on sour notes for the UUP and SDLP.