MICHELLE SHOCKS

"We would appeal to everybody to take stock, take breaths..." - MARY LOU MCDONALD AFTER SINN FEIN VICTORY

- JONATHAN McCAMBRIDGE, REBECCA BLACK and DOMINIC McGRATH

SINN Fein has won a historic victory in the North’s Assembly election after it became the biggest party at Stormont for the first time.

The election result “ushers in a new era”, the party’s vice president Michelle O’Neill has said.

As counting continued into last night, the latest results confirmed what had long been likely, that the republican party would force the DUP into second place.

Shortly after 7 pm yesterday, 88 of 90 Assembly seats had been filled – with two in Foyle still to be finalised.

Sinn Fein has 27 seats while the DUP has 24, the Alliance Party 17, the Ulster Unionists (UUP) nine and the SDLP on seven, with four others.

The Alliance Party has also enjoyed a successful election and will emerge as the third biggest party at Stormont, while the UUP and SDLP have had disappointing results.

FEARS

Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie was elected in Upper Bann despite earlier fears he could lose his seat.

However, there was upset for the SDLP when deputy leader and outgoing Stormont infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon lost her seat in North Belfast.

In her declaration speech in Magherafelt after topping the poll in Mid Ulster, Ms O’Neill said: “Today represents a very significant moment of change.