Historic day in Northern Ireland.
Michelle O'Neill on Saturday became the first leader in favor of the unification of Ireland to take the helm of the Northern Irish government, a historic shift in the British province with a past scarred by three decades of bloody conflict.
The 47-year-old leader of Northern Ireland's Sinn Fein was appointed Prime Minister after the restart of the province's institutions.
These had been blocked for two years due to the boycott by the DUP unionists to oppose post-Brexit trade provisions which they denounced as a threat to Northern Ireland's place within the United Kingdom.
In front of elected officials gathered at Stormont Palace, Michelle O'Neill hailed "a historic day", a "new era" and promised an assembly "for all", stressing that it would have been "unimaginable for the generation of (her) parents” that a nationalist heads the local executive.
I am honored to take office as Prime Minister.
I am committed to representing all our people and communities.
Let us work together to build a brighter, better future for everyone.
pic.twitter.com/J6uM9msUd3
— Michelle O'Neill (@moneillsf) February 3, 2024
“We must never forget those who lost their lives or were injured, and their families,” she added of the “Troubles”, which left 3,500 dead.
“I am sorry for all the lives lost during the conflict, without exception,” she insisted, expressing her determination to continue the work of reconciliation: “we cannot change the past”, but “we can build a better future.”
An “important step” for Biden
US President Joe Biden welcomed the restart of institutions in Northern Ireland, calling it an “important step” for the future of the province.
He said in a statement that he hoped that this "return to the stability of a power-sharing government strengthens the peace dividend, restores public services and continues to build on the immense progress made over the years. recent decades.
Under the co-governance resulting from the Good Friday Agreement of 1998, which ended three decades of conflict, Michelle O'Neill will have at her side a Unionist Deputy Prime Minister, Emma Little-Pengelly.
Sinn Fein came out on top in the May 2022 elections, an unprecedented shift for this formation, once the political showcase of the IRA (Irish Republican Army), but the political impasse prevented Michelle O'Neill from taking office.
Local government, responsible for areas such as housing, health, employment, agriculture and the environment, must be formed.
Current affairs had been managed by the administration and London for two years due to the blockage which caused exasperation among the population.
After months of negotiations with the British government, unionists from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) announced their decision this week to end their boycott.
This led to the paralysis of the Assembly and the local executive, where power is shared between the unionists - committed to maintaining Northern Ireland in the British fold - and the republicans.