# UK considering delay to Northern Ireland elections, Ireland minister says
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2022-11-03
Category: NEWS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/news
Meta Title: UK Government Considers Delaying Northern Ireland Elections
Meta Description: Irish foreign minister Simon Coveney suggests laws may change after UK Minister fails to set election date following power-sharing deadline lapse.
URL: https://financedigest.com/uk-considering-delay-to-northern-ireland-elections-ireland-minister-sayshtml

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By Amanda Ferguson

BELFAST (Reuters) -The UK government could change the law to delay elections in Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland’s foreign minister said on Wednesday after a meeting with the British minister for the region.

The deadline passed last week for forming a power-sharing government following elections in May and Britain’s Minister for Northern Ireland Chris Heaton-Harris said he was legally obliged to call new elections within 12 weeks.

Heaton-Harris has so far failed, however, to set a date and has not publicly [raised the prospect](https://www.financedigest.com/ecbs-lagarde-raises-prospect-of-rate-hikes-beyond-neutral-level.html "ECB’s Lagarde raises prospect of rate hikes beyond neutral level") of a delay. He said on Tuesday that he would provide a further update on [next steps “in due course” following](https://www.financedigest.com/france-next-on-the-map-for-adtech-vendor-adnami-following-the-signing-of-new-partnerships-with-ad4good-and-tf1.html "France next on the map for adtech vendor Adnami following the signing of new partnerships with Ad4Good and TF1") meetings with the main political parties.

Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney told journalists in Belfast after meeting Heaton-Harris that there were only two options, “a legal obligation to [set a date for an election](https://www.financedigest.com/explainer-rightist-alliance-set-for-italian-election-victory.html "Explainer-Rightist alliance set for Italian election victory") or else there will have to be new legislation to avoid an election at this time.

“No decisions have been made yet but certainly we’re not going to have to wait weeks for that clarity … I made it clear that the Irish [government’s position is that we don’t believe an election](https://www.financedigest.com/estonias-pro-kyiv-government-faces-election-test-amid-cost-of-living-crisis.html "Estonia’s pro-Kyiv government faces election test amid cost of living crisis") at this time is a good thing for Northern Ireland.

Coveney said the region’s main [political parties shared his view that an election](https://www.financedigest.com/wickremesinghe-a-wily-political-survivor-elected-sri-lankas-president.html "Wickremesinghe, a wily political survivor, elected Sri Lanka’s president") now would be “unnecessary and unhelpful.

Northern Ireland has been without a functioning devolved government [since February](https://www.financedigest.com/dollar-heads-for-first-weekly-gain-since-february.html "Dollar heads for first weekly gain since February") when the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party began a boycott of the regional assembly in protest at post-Brexit trading arrangements.

The [main parties have said they expect](https://www.financedigest.com/99-financial-firms-expect-benefit-open-banking-improved-customer-onboarding-main-driver-adoption.html "99% of financial firms expect to benefit from Open Banking, with improved customer onboarding the main driver of adoption") a new vote will do little to break that stalemate. Irish nationalists Sinn Fein won the most seats for the first [time in May’s voting and opinion polls have moved little since](https://www.financedigest.com/soccer-arsenal-reach-womens-champions-league-semis-for-first-time-since-2013.html "Soccer-Arsenal reach Women’s Champions League semis for first time since 2013").

Britain and the EU [resumed talks](https://www.financedigest.com/japan-insurers-in-talks-with-reinsurers-to-resume-coverage-in-russian-waters.html "Japan insurers in talks with reinsurers to resume coverage in Russian waters") in October for the first time in seven months about their post-Brexit trade dispute over Northern Ireland and Coveney said a resolution was possible by the end of the year if both sides compromise.

The two sides are deadlocked over the Northern Ireland protocol, the part of the Brexit deal that mandated checks on goods moving to Northern Ireland from the rest of the United Kingdom because of its [open land](https://www.financedigest.com/jaguar-land-rover-opens-three-european-self-driving-tech-hubs.html "Jaguar Land Rover opens three European self-driving tech hubs") border with EU member Ireland.

(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson and Conor Humphries; editing by Padraic Halpin and Grant McCool)


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