May 6, 2022: Election officials tally votes for the Northern Ireland Assembly election at the Belfast count centre in Belfast, Northern Ireland. This election will elect 90 members to the Northern Ireland Assembly. It will be the seventh election since the Assembly was established in 1998.Getty Images

Northern Ireland went to the polls yesterday, May 5, to vote in its Assembly elections. 

Votes began to be counted on May 6, at 8 am. According to the Electoral Office of Northern Ireland, there were 873,787 total votes polled and an overall turnout of 63.61%.

90 seats are up for grabs in the Northern Ireland Assembly Elections - five seats in each of the 18 constituencies in the region.

Northern Ireland uses the Single Transferable Vote system, which the Northern Ireland Assembly explains in this video:

In Northern Ireland's last elections, which were held in 2017, the DUP won 28 seats, Sinn Féin 27, the SDLP 12, UUP 10, the Alliance party 8, and other parties 5, The Guardian reports.

Opinion polls leading up to the elections indicated that Sinn Féin may emerge as the largest party. Should Sinn Féin win the majority, they are entitled to nominate the First Minister, meaning Northern Ireland could soon have its first-ever nationalist First Minister.

Northern Ireland Assembly election results

Update 7:30 pm EST:

The Northern Ireland Assembly has said that counting for today, Friday, May 6, has concluded and will resume tomorrow, Saturday, May 7.

46 of 90 seats have been declared.

Update 7:29 pm EST:

46 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 18 seats (+1)
  • DUP: 12 seats (+2)
  • Alliance: 7 seats 
  • UUP: 4 seats
  • SDLP: 3 seats (+2)
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat
  • TUV: 1 seat (+1)

Sinn Féin

  • Liz Kimmins has been elected as MLA for Newry and Armagh

DUP

  • Pam Cameron has been elected as MLA for South Antrim
  • Trevor Clarke has been elected as MLA for South Antrim

SDLP

  • Matthew O'Toole has been elected as MLA for Belfast South
  • Justin McNulty has been elected as MLA for Newry and Armagh

TUV

  • Jim Allister has been elected as MLA for North Antrim

Update 6:55 pm EST:

40 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 17 seats
  • DUP: 10 seats (+2)
  • Alliance: 7 seats 
  • UUP: 4 seats
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

DUP:

  • David Hilditch has been elected as MLA for East Antrim
  • Edwin Poots has been elected as MLA for Belfast South

Update 6:50 pm EST:

38 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 17 seats (+1)
  • DUP: 8 seats (+2)
  • Alliance: 7 seats (+3)
  • UUP: 4 seats (+1)
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

Sinn Féin: 

  • John O'Dowd has been elected as MLA for Upper Bann

Alliance:

  • Danny Donnelly has been elected as MLA for East Antrim
  • Stewart Dickson has been elected as MLA for East Antrim

UUP:

  • Steve Aiken has been elected as MLA for South Antrim

Update 4:59 pm EST:

31 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 16 seats
  • DUP: 6 seats (+1)
  • Alliance: 4 seats
  • UUP: 3 seats
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

DUP

  • Harry Harvey has been elected as MLA for Strangford

Update 4:35 pm EST:

30 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 16 seats
  • DUP: 5 seats (+1)
  • Alliance: 4 seats (+1)
  • UUP: 3 seats
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

DUP:

  • Paul Givan has been elected as MLA for Lagan Valley

Alliance:

  • Sorcha Eastwood has been elected as MLA for Lagan Valley

Update 3:40 pm EST:

28 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 16 seats
  • DUP: 4 seats (+2)
  • Alliance: 3 seats
  • UUP: 3 seats
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

DUP:

  • Gordon Lyons has been elected as MLA for East Antrim
  • Michelle McIlveen has been elected as MLA for Strangford 

Update 2:21 pm EST:

26 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin: 16 seats
  • Alliance: 3 seats (+1)
  • UUP: 3 seats (+1)
  • DUP: 2 seats
  • SDLP: 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist: 1 seat

Alliance:

  • John Blair has been elected as MLA for South Antrim

UUP:

  • John Stewart has been elected as MLA for East Antrim

Update 2:16 pm EST:

With all 18 constituencies reporting, Sinn Féin has won the most first preference votes, according to Ireland Elect. The nationalist party won 29% of first preference votes, followed by the DUP who won 21.3%, and then Alliance, who claimed 13.5%.

Update 1:40 pm EST:

The Electoral Office of Northern Ireland believes that counting will roll over into a second day:

Update 1:38 pm EST:

24 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin- 16 seats (+1)
  • DUP - 2 seats
  • Alliance - 2 seats
  • UUP - 2 seats
  • SDLP - 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist - 1 seat

Sinn Féin:

  • Cathal Boylan has been elected as MLA for Newry and Armagh

Update 1:30 pm EST:

23 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin- 15 seats (+3)
  • DUP - 2 seats
  • Alliance - 2 seats
  • UUP - 2 seats (+1)
  • SDLP - 1 seat (+1)
  • Independent Unionist - 1 seat

Sinn Féin:

  • Pádraig Delargy has been elected as MLA for Foyle 
  • Jemma Dolan has been elected as MLA for Fermanagh and South Tyrone
  • Conor Murphy has been elected as MLA for Newry and Armagh

UUP:

  • Robbie Butler has been elected as MLA for Lagan Valley 

SDLP:

  • Mark Durkan has been elected as MLA for Foyle

Update 12:40 pm EST:

18 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin- 12 seats
  • DUP - 2 seats
  • Alliance - 2 seats
  • UUP - 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist - 1 seat

Sinn Féin:

  • Linda Dillon has been elected as MLA for Mid Ulster 
  • Emma Sheerin has been elected as MLA for Mid Ulster

Update 12:35 pm EST:

16 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin- 10 seats
  • DUP - 2 seats
  • Alliance - 2 seats
  • UUP - 1 seat
  • Independent Unionist - 1 seat

Independent Unionist:

  • Alex Easton has been elected as MLA for North Down 

Update 12:25 pm EST:

15 of 90 seats declared:

  • Sinn Féin- 10 seats
  • DUP - 2 seats
  • Alliance - 2 seats
  • UUP - 1 seat

Sinn Féin:

  • Sinéad Ennis has been elected as MLA for South Down
  • Cathy Mason has been elected as MLA for South Down
  • Deirdre Hargey has been elected as MLA for South Belfast
  • Danny Baker has been elected as MLA for West Belfast
  • Nicola Brogan has been elected as MLA for West Tyrone
  • Declan Kearney has been elected as MLA for South Antrim
  • Gerry Kelly has been elected as MLA for North Belfast
  • Carál Ní Chuilín has been elected as MLA for North Belfast
  • Michelle O’Neill has been elected as MLA for Mid Ulster
  • Philip McGuigan has been elected as MLA for North Antrim

DUP:

  • Jeffrey Donaldson has been elected as MLA for Lagan Valley
  • Joanne Bunting has been elected as MLA for Belfast East

Alliance:

  • Naomi Long has been elected as MLA for East Belfast
  • Kellie Armstrong has been elected as MLA for Strangford

UUP:

  • Robin Swann has been elected as MLA for North Antrim