Dublin In a historic moment, the Irish nationalist leader, Michelle O’Neill, has become the first minister of Northern Ireland as power-sharing resumes after a two-year gap, according to CNN.
Michelle O’Neill of Sinn Fein, the pro-united Ireland party that was originally the political branch of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), told parliamentarians after her appointment that “today opens the door to the future.” I am pleased to be here as First Minister.”
She promised to “serve everyone equally and be a First Minister for all,” including those who identify as British or Unionist.
“I am wholeheartedly committed to continue the work of reconciliation between all of our people. The past cannot be changed or cannot be undone. But what we can do is build a better future,” she said in her speech, according to CNN.
O’Neill has been eligible for the position since 2022, when Sinn Fein secured a majority in the May election.
The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the major opposition party, had refused to form a power-sharing administration in protest over post-Brexit trading regulations.
The DUP reached an agreement with the UK government on Thursday that soothed its Brexit fears, setting the way for legislators to be recalled to the Northern Ireland Assembly on Saturday, bringing an end to the two-year parliamentary gridlock.
A house speaker was also sworn in, as was Emma Little-Pengelly, a DUP-nominated Deputy First Minister with the same powers as the First Minister, reported CNN.
Little-Pengelly stated in an address that she “could never have imagined” serving Northern Ireland in such a way, recalling the aftermath of an IRA bomb outside her home when she was a child.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is the devolved legislature in Northern Ireland.
Despite being part of the United Kingdom, legislators in the Assembly have the authority to act on a variety of matters not specifically reserved for the Westminster government in London.