Counting begins over Derry City and Strabane council seat challenged by Alliance Party

A count has continued into a Derry City and Strabane Council seat that the Alliance Party has legally challenged. Alliance Party councillor Philip McKinney lost his seat by just a handful of votes in the May local election. The party has raised questions whether the votes were transferred correctly, prompting a recount that began at 10am on Wednesday in the Foyle Arena.

“An election petition was lodged in respect of the outcome of the local council elections in the Waterside DEA within Derry City and Strabane District Council,” the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland said in a statement. “An initial hearing of the election court took place on August 7 and the court directed that the sealed ballot papers should be opened and the Waterside DEA count continue from stage 7 until conclusion. “Prior to the court hearing, an approach to handling this issue was agreed by all parties and this formed the basis for the court order.”

The Alliance Party won 67 seats in May’s local elections, an increase of 14 on 2019. Sinn Féin emerged with 144 seats, an increase of 39, while the DUP came out with the same number of seats it had before, 122. The UUP gathered 54 seats, and the SDLP has 39, with smaller parties and independents taking the remaining 36 seats. The SDLP’s Martin Reilly took the seventh and final seat in the Waterside district of the Derry City and Strabane District Council.

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