View source for 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election

{{Short description|none}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election
| country            = 
| type               = parliamentary
| ongoing            = no
| previous_election  = 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election
| previous_mps       = 1st Northern Ireland Assembly
| previous_year      = 1998
| elected_mps        = [[2nd Northern Ireland Assembly|MLAs elected]]
| next_election      = 2007 Northern Ireland Assembly election
| next_year          = 2007
| seats_for_election = All 108 seats to the [[Northern Ireland Assembly]]
| majority_seats     =  
| election_date      = 26 November 2003
| turnout            = 63.1% {{decrease}}6.7%<ref name="elliott"/>

<!--     Democratic Unionist     -->
| image1 = [[File:Ian Paisley, 1994 2 (cropped).jpg|160x160px]]
| leader1 = [[Ian Paisley]]
| party1 = Democratic Unionist Party
| leader_since1 = 30&nbsp;September&nbsp;1971
| leaders_seat1 = [[North Antrim (UK Parliament constituency)|North Antrim]]
| last_election1 = 20 seats, 18.5%
| seats1 = '''30'''
| seat_change1 = {{increase}}10
| popular_vote1 = '''177,944'''  
| percentage1 = '''25.7%'''
| swing1 = {{increase}}7.2%

<!--     Sinn Féin     -->
| image3 = {{CSS image crop|Image =Gerry Adams, October 2005 (cropped).jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader3 = [[Gerry Adams]]
| party3 = Sinn Féin
| leader_since3 = 13 November 1983
| leaders_seat3 = [[Belfast West (UK Parliament constituency)|Belfast West]]
| last_election3 = 18 seats, 16.7%
| seats3 = 24
| seat_change3 = {{increase}}6
| popular_vote3 = 162,758 
| percentage3 = 23.5%
| swing3 = {{increase}}6.8%

<!--     Ulster Unionist    -->
| image2 = [[File:David Trimble Washington D.C.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader2 = [[David Trimble]]
| leader_since2 = 8 September 1995
| party2 = Ulster Unionist Party
| leaders_seat2 = [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]
| last_election2 = 28 seats, 21.3%
| seats2 = 27
| seat_change2 = {{decrease}}1
| popular_vote2 = 156,931
| percentage2 = 22.7%
| swing2 = {{increase}}1.4%

<!--     SDLP     -->
| image4 = {{CSS image crop|Image =MarkDurkan.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader4 = [[Mark Durkan]]
| leader_since4 = 10 November 2001
| party4 = Social Democratic and Labour Party
| leaders_seat4 = [[Foyle (Assembly constituency)|Foyle]]
| last_election4 = 24 seats, 22.0%
| seats4 = 18
| seat_change4 = {{decrease}}6
| popular_vote4 = 117,547
| percentage4 = 17.0%
| swing4 = {{decrease}}5.0%

<!--     Alliance     -->
| image5 = {{CSS image crop|Image =David Ford.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 
| leader5 = [[David Ford (politician)|David Ford]]
| leader_since5 = 6 October 2001
| party5 = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
| leaders_seat5 = [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]]
| last_election5 = 6 seats, 5.6%
| seats5 = 6
| seat_change5 = {{steady}}0
| popular_vote5 = 25,372
| percentage5 = 3.7%
| swing5 = {{decrease}}1.9%

<!--     Progressive Unionist     -->
| image6 = {{CSS image crop|Image =|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}} 

| leader6 = [[David Ervine]]
| leader_since6 = 2002
| party6 = Progressive Unionist Party
| leaders_seat6 = [[Belfast East (Assembly constituency)|Belfast East]]
| last_election6 = 2 seats, 2.6%
| seats6 = 1
| seat_change6 = {{decrease}}1
| popular_vote6 = 8,032
| percentage6 = 1.2%
| swing6 = {{decrease}}1.4%

<!--    UK Unionist Party    -->
| image7 = <div style="width:115px;"><span style="line-height:150px; vertical-align:center; text-align:center; color:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}}; font-size:30px;">'''UKUP'''</span></div>
| leader7 = [[Robert McCartney (Northern Irish politician)|Robert McCartney]]
| leader_since7 = 1995
| party7 = UK Unionist Party
| leaders_seat7 = [[North Down (Assembly constituency)|North Down]]
| last_election7 = 5 seats, 4.5%
| seats7 = 1
| seat_change7 = {{decrease}}4
| popular_vote7 = 5,700
| percentage7 = 0.8%
| swing7 = {{decrease}}3.7%

| map= {{Switcher
| [[File:2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election.svg|350px]]
| Seats won by each party and combined first preference vote share of the largest party.
| [[File:2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election, Seats per Constituencies.svg|350px]]
| Break down of each party and community's seats in constituencies
}}
| map_caption= Election results. Voters elect 6 assembly members from the 18 constituencies. 
| title           = First Minister
| posttitle = First Minister after election
| before_election = ''Suspended''
| after_election  = ''Suspended''
}}
{{Politics of Northern Ireland}}
The '''2003 Northern Ireland Assembly election''' was held on Wednesday, 26 November 2003, after being suspended for just over a year. It was the second election to take place since the devolved assembly was established in 1998. Each of Northern Ireland's eighteen [[British House of Commons|Westminster Parliamentary]] constituencies elected six members by [[single transferable vote]], giving a total of 108 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). The election was contested by 18 parties and many independent candidates.

==Background==
The election was originally planned for May 2003,<ref name=opsi>{{cite web |url=http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032697.htm |title=The Northern Ireland (Date of Next Assembly Poll) Order 2003 |access-date=2006-01-04 |archive-date=2007-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503122815/http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2003/20032697.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> but was delayed by [[Paul Murphy, Baron Murphy of Torfaen|Paul Murphy]], the [[Secretary of State for Northern Ireland]].<ref name=opsi/>

Several sitting MLAs stood under a different label to the one they had used in the [[1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election|1998 election]]. Some had failed to be selected by their parties to stand and so stood as independents, whilst others had changed parties during the course of the assembly. Most of these realignments occurred within the unionist parties, with several defections between existing parties, and two new parties being formed – the United Unionist Coalition (formed by the three MLAs elected as independent unionists, though one later joined the DUP) and the Northern Ireland Unionist Party (formed by four of the five MLAs elected as the UK Unionist Party, though one later left them, joined the DUP for a period, then contested the election as an independent unionist).

The SDLP, which had been Northern Ireland's dominant Irish nationalist party during the 1980s and 1990s, went into this election with concerns that they could lose numerous seats to fellow nationalists [[Sinn Féin]], who had overtaken the SDLP in terms of votes and seats at the [[2001 United Kingdom general election in Northern Ireland|2001 United Kingdom general election]].<ref>{{cite web |title=2001 General Election - the last election in Northern Ireland |url=http://www.wesleyjohnston.com/users/ireland/today/westminster_2001.html |access-date=2023-03-03 |website=WesleyJohnston.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2001/jun/13/uk.northernireland|title=Sinn Fein builds on success while SDLP licks wounds|first1=Rosie|last1=Cowan|date=13 June 2001|newspaper=The Guardian}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Murray |first=Gerard |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48784064 |title=Sinn Féin and the SDLP: From Alienation to Participation |date=2005 |publisher=Hurst |others=Jonathan Tonge |isbn=1-85065-648-7 |location=London |oclc=48784064}}</ref> Commentator, Brian Feeney, said: "The SDLP has a series of baronial figures - [[John Hume]], [[Seamus Mallon]], [[Eddie McGrady]] - who hung on to power and didn't groom their successors early enough. They just don't have enough people on the ground in some areas of the province. Sinn Féin, by contrast, has deliberately cultivated collective leadership, bringing forward wave after wave of young, articulate, highly politicised heirs apparent, and their grassroots organisation is awesome."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2003/nov/24/uk.northernireland|title=Poll could put SDLP on the road to oblivion, say critics|last=Cowan|first=Rosie|date=24 November 2003|work=The Guardian|accessdate=3 March 2023|quote=Once secure as the mainstream nationalist group, the party is being warned that Sinn Féin has stolen its thunder}}</ref>

==Results==
On the [[Unionism in Ireland|unionist]] side, the [[Democratic Unionist Party]] (DUP) became Northern Ireland's biggest party for the first time in any election, overtaking the [[Ulster Unionist Party]] (UUP). They gained ten seats, primarily at the expense of smaller unionist parties,<ref name="bbc 2022"/> to become the largest party both in seats and votes, winning thirty overall.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/election/ra2003.htm|title=CAIN: Issue: Politics: Elections: Assembly Election (NI) Wednesday 26 November 2003|website=cain.ulster.ac.uk|accessdate=11 March 2023}}</ref> The UUP increased their vote slightly, despite slipping to third place in first preference votes, and won 27 seats, a net loss of one. Shortly after the election three Ulster Unionist MLAs, [[Jeffrey Donaldson]], [[Norah Beare]] and [[Arlene Foster]], quit the party<ref>{{cite news |last=Moriarty |first=Gerry |date=19 December 2003 |title=Donaldson quits UUP for place on DUP talks team |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/donaldson-quits-uup-for-place-on-dup-talks-team-1.400928 |access-date=3 March 2023 |newspaper=The Irish Times |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2022-02-24/jeffrey-donaldsons-past-with-the-uup-dup-and-defections|title=Would DUP leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson have defected to the UUP?|last=McNaney|first=James|date=24 February 2022|publisher=UTV|accessdate=3 March 2023}}</ref> and later defected to the DUP.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2004/jan/05/northernireland.devolution|title=Ulster Unionist rebels defect to DUP|last=Tempest|first=Matthew|date=5 January 2004|work=The Guardian|accessdate=3 March 2023}}</ref>

On the [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] side, [[Sinn Féin]] saw a big increase in their vote, gaining six seats at the net expense of the [[Social Democratic and Labour Party]],<ref name="bbc 2022">{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-61363696 |title=NI election 2022: How UUP and SDLP lost their place as Northern Ireland's top parties|last=Sproule|first=Luke|date=11 May 2022|publisher=BBC News NI|access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref> for a total of 24 seats.<ref name="elliott">{{cite journal |last=Elliott |first=Sydney |date=2007 |title=Sinn Féin: Is There Any Limit to Its Electoral Ambitions? DUP: An Increase in Electoral Advantage over the UUP? |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/25561856 |journal=Fortnight |issue=450 |pages=6–8 |jstor=25561856 |issn=0141-7762}}</ref>

The minor parties all saw a significant fall in their support. The [[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance Party]] managed to hold all six of its seats despite their vote falling by a third, the [[Northern Ireland Women's Coalition|Women's Coalition]], [[United Unionist Coalition]] and [[Northern Ireland Unionist Party]] were all wiped out, and the [[Progressive Unionist Party]] and [[UK Unionist Party]] won just one seat each. Neither the United Unionist Assembly Party nor the Northern Ireland Unionists won any seats.

The biggest surprise of the election came in [[West Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|West Tyrone]] with the election of the independent [[Kieran Deeny]], a doctor campaigning on the single issue of hospital provision in [[Omagh]].<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/northern_ireland/3485079.stm |title=Hospital campaigner forms party |date=13 February 2004 |publisher=BBC News |access-date=3 March 2023}}</ref>

[[File:Northern_Ireland_Election_Map_2003.svg|thumb|Result by constituencies]]
[[Image:Northernirelandassembly asof Jun 2003.PNG|right|thumb|Preferable vote.]]
{{Election results
|image=[[File:Northern Irish general election 2003.svg]]
|party1=[[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]]|votes1=177944|sw1=|seats1=30|sc1={{increase}}10
|party2=[[Sinn Féin]]|votes2=162758|sw2=|seats2=24|sc2={{increase}}6
|party3=[[Ulster Unionist Party|UUP]]|votes3=156931|sw3=|seats3=27|sc3={{decrease}}1
|party4=[[Social Democratic and Labour Party|SDLP]]|votes4=117547|sw4=|seats4=18|sc4={{decrease}}6
|party5=[[Alliance Party of Northern Ireland|Alliance]]|votes5=25372|sw5=|seats5=6|sc5={{steady}}0
|party6=[[Progressive Unionist Party|PUP]]|votes6=8032|sw6=|seats6=1|sc6={{decrease}}1
|party7=[[Northern Ireland Women's Coalition|NI Women's Coalition]]|votes7=5785|sw7=|seats7=0|sc7={{decrease}}2
|party8=[[UK Unionist Party|UK Unionist]]|votes8=5700|sw8=|seats8=1|sc8={{decrease}}4
|party9=[[United Unionist Assembly Party|United Unionist Council]]|votes9=2705|sw9=|seats9=|sc9=
|party10=[[Green Party Northern Ireland|Green (NI)]]|votes10=2688|sw10=|seats10=|sc10=
|party11=[[Socialist Environmental Alliance]]|votes11=2394|sw11=|seats11=|sc11=
|party12=[[Workers' Party (Ireland)|Workers' Party]]|votes12=1881|sw12=|seats12=|sc12=
|party13=[[Northern Ireland Conservatives|NI Conservatives]]|votes13=1604|sw13=|seats13=|sc13=
|party14=[[Northern Ireland Unionist Party|NI Unionist]]|votes14=1350|sw14=|seats14=|sc14=
|party15=[[Socialist Party (Ireland)|Socialist Party]]|votes15=343|sw15=|seats15=|sc15=
|party16=[[Vote For Yourself Rainbow Dream Ticket]]|votes16=124|sw16=|seats16=|sc16=
|party17=[[Ulster Third Way]]|votes17=16|sw17=|seats17=|sc17=
|party18=[[Independent politician|Independent]]|votes18=20234|sw18=|seats18=1|sc18={{increase}}1

|invalid=
|electorate=1097526
|turnout=63.05
|source=[http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/fa03.htm ARK]
}}

=== Distribution of seats by constituency ===

Party affiliation of the six Assembly members returned by each constituency. The first column indicates the party of the Member of the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom|House of Commons]] (MP) returned by the corresponding parliamentary constituency in the [[2001 United Kingdom general election]] under the [[first-past-the-post voting]] method.

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan=3 colspan=2 | {{nowrap|Party of MP,}} 2001
! rowspan=3  | Constituency
! colspan=11 | Northern Ireland Assembly seats
|-
! rowspan=2 | Total
! style="background:{{party color|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Progressive Unionist Party}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}};" |
! style="background:{{party color|Independent politician}};" |
! rowspan=2 class="unsortable"|Gained <br />by
! rowspan=2 class="unsortable"|Formerly <br />held by
|-
! APNI
! DUP
! PUP
! SDLP
! Sinn<br />Féin
! UKU
! UUP
! {{abbr|Ind.|Independent}}
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[North Antrim (Assembly constituency)|North Antrim]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|3||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|1||–
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" |SF
| style="background:{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}};" |UUP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|rowspan=2|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| rowspan=2 style="text-align:left;"| [[East Antrim (Assembly constituency)|East Antrim]]
| rowspan=2 | 6
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"| 3
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}};" | UKU
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};"  | SDLP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[South Antrim (Assembly constituency)|South Antrim]]||6||style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|2||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||–||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" |DUP
| style="background:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}};" |UKU
|-
| {{Party name with colour|rowspan=2|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2| [[Belfast North (Assembly constituency)|Belfast North]]
| rowspan=2 | 6
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 | –
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background-color:#cccccc;" | {{abbr|Ind. U.|Independent unionist}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" | SF
| style="background:{{party color|Progressive Unionist Party}};"  | PUP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Belfast West (Assembly constituency)|Belfast West]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|4||–||–||–
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" |DUP
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};" |SDLP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Belfast South (Assembly constituency)|Belfast South]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|2||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" |SF
| style="background:{{party color|Northern Ireland Women's Coalition}};" |[[Northern Ireland Women's Coalition| NIWC]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Belfast East (Assembly constituency)|Belfast East]]||6||style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|2||style:"background;{{Party shading/Progressive Unionist Party}}"|1||–||–||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–||–||–
|-
| {{Party name with colour|rowspan=2|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 |[[North Down (Assembly constituency)|North Down]]
| rowspan=2 | 6
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/UK Unionist Party}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background:{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}};" | UUP
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background:{{party color|Northern Ireland Women's Coalition}};"  | NIWC
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"|[[Strangford (Assembly constituency)|Strangford]]||6||style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|3||–||–||–||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" |DUP
| style="background:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}};" | UKU
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Lagan Valley (Assembly constituency)|Lagan Valley]]||6||style:"background;{{Party shading/Alliance Party}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||–||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|3||–
| style="background:{{party color|Ulster Unionist Party}};" | UUP
| style="background:{{party color|UK Unionist Party}};" | UKU
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party|shortname=UUP}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|2||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background-color:#cccccc;" | {{abbr|Ind. U.|Independent unionist}}
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[South Down (Assembly constituency)|South Down]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|2||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|2||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|1||–
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" | SF
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};" | SDLP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Newry and Armagh (Assembly constituency)|Newry and Armagh]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|3||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|1||–
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" | SF
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};" | SDLP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| style="text-align:left;" | [[Fermanagh and South Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|Fermanagh & South Tyrone]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|2||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|2||–||–||–
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[West Tyrone (Assembly constituency)|West Tyrone]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|2||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|1||1
| style="background-color:#cccccc;" | {{abbr|Ind. O.|Independent Other}}
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};" | SDLP
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Mid Ulster (Assembly constituency)|Mid Ulster]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|1||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|3||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"|1||–||–||–
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
| style="text-align:left;"| [[Foyle (Assembly constituency)|Foyle]]||6||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"|1||–||style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"|3||style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"|2||–||–||–||–||–
|-
| {{Party name with colour|rowspan=2|Democratic Unionist Party}}
| style="text-align:left;" rowspan=2 | [[East Londonderry (Assembly constituency)|East Londonderry]]
| rowspan=2 | 6
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Democratic Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/SDLP}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Sinn Féin}}"| 1
| rowspan=2 | –
| rowspan=2 style:"background;{{Party shading/Ulster Unionist Party}}"| 2
| rowspan=2 | –
| style="background:{{party color|Democratic Unionist Party}};" | DUP
| style="background-color:#cccccc;" | {{abbr|Ind. U.|Independent Unionist}}
|-
| style="background:{{party color|Sinn Féin}};" | SF
| style="background:{{party color|Social Democratic and Labour Party}};"  | SDLP
|- class="sortbottom"  style="text-align:center; background:#ddd;"
| colspan=3 | {{sort|ZZA|'''Total'''}}||'''108'''||6||30||1||18||24||1||27||1||||
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan=3 align="left"|{{sort|ZZB|''Change since 1998''}}
|–||–||style="background:#ccffcc;"|+ 10||style="background:lavenderblush;"|– 1||style="background:lavenderblush;"| – 6 ||style="background:#ccffcc;"|+ 6||style="background:lavenderblush;"|– 4||style="background:lavenderblush;"|− 1||style="background:lavenderblush;"|– 2||style="background:lavenderblush;"|–2 <small>[[Northern Ireland Women's Coalition|NIWC]]</small>||–
|- class="sortbottom" style="text-align:center; background:#eee;"
| colspan=3 align="left"|{{sort|ZZI|Elected on 25 June 1998}}
|108||6||20||2||24||18||5||28||3|| 2 <small>[[Northern Ireland Women's Coalition|NIWC]]</small>||–
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Manifestos==
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/apni/apni03man.pdf ''Alliance Works''], Alliance
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/dup/dup03man.pdf ''Fair Deal Manifesto 2003''], Democratic Unionist Party
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/green/green03.pdf ''Meeting the Challenges - Seizing the Opportunities''], Green Party Northern Ireland
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/cp/cp03man.pdf ''Assembly Election 2003''], Northern Ireland Conservatives
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/niwc/niwc03man.pdf ''Change the Face of Politics''], Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/pup/pup03man.pdf ''2003 Election Manifesto''], Progressive Unionist Party
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/sf/sf03man.pdf ''Agenda for Government''], Sinn Féin
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/sdlp/sdlp03man.pdf ''Reshaping Government, Rebuilding Public Services''], Social Democratic and Labour Party
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/sea/sea03man.pdf ''Turn the Tide''], Socialist Environmental Alliance
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/uup/uup03man.pdf ''Manifesto 2003''], Ulster Unionist Party
* [https://cain.ulster.ac.uk/issues/politics/docs/wp/wp1103man.pdf ''It Wont Work... Without the Workers' Party''], Workers' Party

{{Northern Ireland elections}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 2003}}

[[Category:Elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly|2003]]
[[Category:2003 elections in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2003 in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:November 2003 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:2003 elections in Northern Ireland]]