View source for Northern Ireland Forum

{{Short description|Provisional forum for the Northern Ireland peace process}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name      = 1996 Northern Ireland Forum election
| type               = parliamentary
| ongoing            = no
| previous_election  = 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly election
| previous_year      = 1982
| previous_mps       = Members of the 1982 Northern Ireland Assembly
| elected_mps        = [[Members of the Northern Ireland Forum|Delegates elected]]
| next_election      = 1998 Northern Ireland Assembly election
| next_year          = 1998
| seats_for_election = All 110 seats to the Northern Ireland Forum
| election_date      = 30 May 1996

<!--     Ulster Unionist    -->
| image1 = {{CSS image crop|Image =David Trimble Washington D.C.jpg|bSize = 120|cWidth = 120|cHeight = 160|oTop = 0|oLeft = 0}}
| leader1 = [[David Trimble]]
| leader_since1 = 8 September 1995
| party1 = Ulster Unionist Party
| seats1 = '''30''' | leaders_seat1 = [[Upper Bann (Assembly constituency)|Upper Bann]]
| popular_vote1 = '''181,829'''
| percentage1 = '''24.2%'''

<!--     Democratic Unionist     -->
| image2 = [[File:Ian Paisley, 1994 2 (cropped).jpg|160x160px]]
| leader2 = [[Ian Paisley]]
| leader_since2 = 30 September 1971
| party2 = Democratic Unionist Party
| seats2 = 24 | leaders_seat2 = [[North Antrim (Assembly constituency)|North Antrim]]
| popular_vote2 = 141,413
| percentage2 = 18.8%

<!--     SDLP     -->
| image3 = [[File:John Hume, 1994 (cropped) 2.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader3 = [[John Hume]]
| leader_since3 = 28 November 1979
| party3 = Social Democratic and Labour Party
| seats3 = 21 | leaders_seat3 = [[Foyle (Assembly constituency)|Foyle]]
| popular_vote3 = 160,786
| percentage3 = 21.4%

<!--     Sinn Féin     -->
| image4 =  [[File:Gerry Adams, 1997.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader4 = [[Gerry Adams]]
| leader_since4 = 13 November 1983
| party4 = Sinn Féin
| seats4 = 17 | leaders_seat4 = [[West Belfast (Assembly constituency)|West Belfast]]
| popular_vote4 = 116,377
| percentage4 = 15.5%

<!--     Alliance     -->
| image5 = [[Image:Official portrait of Lord Alderdice crop 2, 2023.jpg|160x160px]]
| leader5 = [[John Alderdice, Baron Alderdice|John Alderdice]]
| leader_since5 = 3 October 1987
| party5 = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
| seats5 = 7 
| leaders_seat5 = [[East Belfast (Assembly constituency)|East Belfast]]
| popular_vote5 = 49,176
| percentage5 = 6.5%

| map= {{Switcher
| [[File:1996 Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue election.svg|400px]]
| Seats won by each party and the vote share of the largest party.
| [[File:1996 Northern Ireland Forum election, Seats per Constituencies.svg|400px]]
| Break down of each party and community's seats in constituencies
}}
| map_caption= Election results. Voters elect 5 forum members from the 18 constituencies. 
| title           = Chief Executive
| posttitle = Chief Executive after election
| before_election = ''None''
| after_election  = ''None''
}}

{{Infobox legislature
| name               = Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue
| native_name        =
| transcription_name =
| coa_pic            = Northern Ireland Forum Logo.jpg
| coa_res            = 220px
| coa_caption        = 
| house_type         = Unicameral deliberative assembly
| houses             = 
| legislature        = 
| established        = 1996
| disbanded          = 25 April 1998
| leader1_type       = Chairman
| leader1            = [[John Gorman (politician)|John Gorman]]
| leader2_type       = 
| leader2            = 
| election2          =
| members            = 110
| house1             = 
| house2             = 
| house3             =
| voting_system1     = [[party list proportional representation|Party List PR]]
| voting_system2     = 
| session_room       = Interpoint Centre, Belfast, July 2010 (01).JPG
| session_res        = 220px
| meeting_place      = 3rd Floor, Interpoint, 20-24 York Street, [[Belfast]]
| see_also           = 
| footnotes          =
|preceded_by=[[Northern Ireland Assembly (1982)]]|succeeded_by=[[Northern Ireland Assembly]]}}
{{Politics of Northern Ireland 1972-98}}
The '''Northern Ireland Forum for Political Dialogue''' was a body set up in 1996 as part of a process of negotiations that eventually led to the [[Good Friday Agreement]] in 1998.

The forum was elected, with five members being elected for each [[List of parliamentary constituencies in Northern Ireland|Westminster Parliamentary constituency]] for Northern Ireland, under the [[D'Hondt method]] of [[party-list proportional representation]].  There was also a "topup" of two seats for the ten parties polling most votes; this ensured that two loyalist parties associated with paramilitary groups were represented.  See [[members of the Northern Ireland Forum]] for a complete list.

==Functions and legislative basis==
The Forum was constituted under the Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996.<ref name= niact1996s3>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/11/section/3/enacted|title=Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996: section 3 (as enacted)|website=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|publisher=[[The National Archives]]|date=29 April 1996|access-date=20 August 2023}}</ref> The Forum was described in the Act as being purely deliberative in nature, and was explicitly stated to have no "executive, legislative or administrative" functions assigned to it, nor to have any authority over the Good Friday negotiations.<ref name=niact1996s3/> It was permitted to consider, in a deliberative capacity, "any matter" referred to it by the negotiatiors.<ref name=niact1996s3/>

==Election results==

The results of the election were:
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:right; font-size:95%; margin-bottom:0"
|colspan=10|[[File:Northen Ireland Forum.svg|center]]
|-
! style="width:65px;" colspan="2"| Party
! style="width:70px;"|Votes
! style="width:70px;"|Vote %
! style="width:90px;"|List seats
! style="width:90px;"|Top-up seats
! style="width:70px;"|Total seats
! style="width:70px;"|Seats %
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}}
|181,829
|24.2
|28
|2
|30
|27.3
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
|160,786
|21.4
|19
|2
| 21
| 19.1
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}}
|141,413
|18.8
|22
|2
|24
|21.8
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
|116,377
|15.5
|15
|2
| 17
|15.5
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}}
| 49,176
| 6.5
|5
|2
| 7
|6.4
|-
| {{Party name with colour|UK Unionist Party}}
| 27,774
| 3.7
|1
|2
|3
|2.7
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Progressive Unionist Party}}
| 26,082
| 3.5
|0
|2
| 2
|1.8
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Democratic Party}}
| 16,715
| 2.2
|0
|2
|2
|1.8
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Northern Ireland Women's Coalition}}
| 7,731
| 1.0
|0
|2
|2
|1.8
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour coalition}}
| 6,425
| 0.9
|0
|2
|2
|1.8
|-	
| colspan="8" style="background: #C0C0C0" |
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Green Party Northern Ireland}}
| 3,647
| 0.5
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Northern Ireland Conservatives}}
| 3,595
| 0.5
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}
| 3,530
| 0.5
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Independence Movement}}
| 2,125
| 0.5
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Left (Ireland)}}
| 1,215
| 0.2
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Partnership}}
| 1,046
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} McMullan
| 927
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} [[Alan Chambers (Northern Ireland politician)|Chambers]]
|    567
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Natural Law Party}}
|    389
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} [[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]]
|    388
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Arthur Templeton
|    350
| 0.1
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster's Independent Voice}}
|    204
| 0.0
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Communist Party of Ireland}}
|     66
| 0.0
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
|
| style="text-align:left;"| Ulster Christian Democrats
|     31
| 0.0
|0
|0
|0
|
|-
! colspan="2" |Total
|745,296
|
|style="text-align: right;" | 90
|style="text-align: right;" | 20
|style="text-align: right;" | 110
| style="text-align: right;" | 
|}
<small>''All parties shown.''</small>

<small>Note: The Democratic Unionist Party was listed on the ballot paper as "[[Democratic Unionist Party]] DUP [[Ian Paisley]]"
</small>
[[File:Northern Ireland Forum Seats.svg|right|thumb|529x529px|{{legend|#9999FF|Ulster Unionist Party: 30 seats}}{{legend|#D46A4C|Democratic Unionist Party: 24 seats}}{{legend|#99FF66|Social Democratic and Labour Party: 21 seats}}{{legend|#009E60|Sinn Féin: 17 seats}}{{legend|#FACF21|Alliance: 7 seats}}{{legend|#5E09B3|UKUP: 3 seats}}{{legend|#000000|Ulster Democratic: 2 seats}}{{legend|#21F0FF|NI Women's Coalition: 2 seats}}{{legend|#D70000|Labour: 2 seats}}{{legend|#000F74|PUP: 2 seats}}]]

===List candidates===
Top-up candidates were elected from lists supplied by each party.  The highest-placed candidates who had not already won election through a constituency won the top-up seats.  In the table below, the top-up candidates elected through the regional list are shown in '''bold''', while candidates elected in constituencies are shown in ''italics''.  Candidates in normal type were not elected.

{| class="wikitable"
!colspan=2|Party
!Regional list candidates<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96cands.htm |title=1996 Elections - List of Candidates |access-date=30 December 2007 |archive-date=10 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161110230339/http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/96cands.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Unionist Party}}
|''[[David Trimble]]'', ''[[John Taylor, Baron Kilclooney|John Taylor]]'', '''[[John Gorman (politician)|John Gorman]]''', '''[[Antony Alcock]]''', [[Jack Allen (Northern Ireland politician)|Jack Allen]], Fred Parkinson, [[Josias Cunningham]], [[Dennis Rogan, Baron Rogan|Dennis Rogan]], James Cooper, [[Jim Nicholson (Northern Ireland politician)|Jim Nicholson]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Social Democratic and Labour Party}}
|''[[John Hume]]'', ''[[Seamus Mallon]]'', ''[[Eddie McGrady]]'', ''[[Joe Hendron]]'', '''[[Jonathan Stephenson]]''', '''[[Dorita Field]]''', Margaret Ellen, Patricia Walsh, [[Marietta Farrell]], Rosaleen Hughes, Anne McQuillan
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Unionist Party}} {{ref|dup-pai}}
|''[[Ian Paisley]]'', ''[[Peter Robinson (Northern Ireland politician)|Peter Robinson]]'', ''[[William McCrea, Baron McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown|William McCrea]]'', ''[[Nigel Dodds]]'', ''[[Sammy Wilson (politician)|Sammy Wilson]]'', '''[[Gregory Campbell (politician)|Gregory Campbell]]''', '''[[Eric Smyth]]''', Ruth Allen, Harry Smith, [[James McClure (Northern Irish politician)|William McClure]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Sinn Féin}}
|'''[[Lucilita Bhreatnach]]''', '''[[Pat Doherty (Northern Ireland politician)|Pat Doherty]]''', [[Rita O'Hare]], ''[[Gerry Adams]]'', ''[[Martin McGuinness]]'', [[Bairbre de Brún]], ''[[Mitchel McLaughlin]]'', ''Gearóid Ó hEára'', [[Joe Cahill]], ''[[Dodie McGuinness]]''
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Alliance Party of Northern Ireland}}
|''[[John Alderdice]]'', '''[[Seamus Close]]''', ''[[Sean Neeson]]'', ''[[Steve McBride (politician)|Steve McBride]]'', '''[[Eileen Bell]]''', Anne Gormley, Elizabeth McCaffrey, [[Mary Clark-Glass]], Susan O'Brien, Wendy Watt
|-
| {{Party name with colour|UK Unionist Party}}
|''[[Robert McCartney (Northern Irish politician)|Robert McCartney]]'', '''[[Cedric Wilson]]''', '''[[Conor Cruise O'Brien]]''', [[Patrick Roche (Northern Ireland politician)|Patrick Roche]], Ronnie Crawford, Alan Field, Valerie Kinghan, Stephen Nicholl, Graeme Jardin, Freda Woods
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Progressive Unionist Party}}
|'''[[Hugh Smyth]]''', '''[[David Ervine]]''', [[Billy Hutchinson]], [[William Smith (Northern Ireland politician)|William Smith]], David Kirk, Patricia Laverty, [[Dawn Purvis]], Edward Kinner, [[Gusty Spence]], [[Winston Churchill Rea]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Democratic Party}}
|'''[[Gary McMichael]]''', '''[[John White (loyalist)|John White]]''', [[David Adams (loyalist)|David Adams]], [[Joe English (loyalist)|Joe English]], [[Tommy Kirkham]], David Nicholl, Robert Girvan, [[Thomas English (loyalist)|Thomas English]], Ester McCracken English, Elizabeth Cathcart McIlwaine
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Northern Ireland Women's Coalition}}
|'''[[Monica McWilliams]]''', '''[[Pearl Sagar]]''', Anne Campbell, Kathleen Fearon, Sheila Fairon, Joan Cosgrove, Diane Greer, Brenda Callaghan, Felicity Huston, Mairead Abraham
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Labour coalition}}
|'''[[Malachi Curran]]''', '''[[Hugh Casey (politician)|Hugh Casey]]''', [[Mark Langhammer]], John McLaughlin, Lucy Simpson, [[Peter Hadden]], Margaret Lawrence, Fionnuala Harbinson, Michael Duffy, David Morrison
|-	
| colspan="3" style="background: #C0C0C0" |
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Green Party Northern Ireland}}
|Paddy McEvoy, [[Peter Emerson]], [[Jenny Jones (Green politician)|Jenny Jones]], [[Nuala Ahern]], [[Molly Scott Cato|Molly Scott]], [[Robin Harper]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Northern Ireland Conservatives}}
|Barbara Finney, [[Esmond Birnie]]
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Workers' Party (Ireland)}}
|[[Tom French (Northern Ireland politician)|Tom French]], [[John Lowry (Irish politician)|John Lowry]], [[Marian Donnelly]], Ellen Rush, Margaret Smith, Tommy Owens, Brendan Heany, Eilish Duffy, Vivian Hutchinson, Michael McCorry
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster Independence Movement}}
|[[Hugh Ross (Northern Ireland politician)|Hugh Ross]], Josephine Fulton-Challis, Sandra Jones, [[Walter Millar]], [[David Kerr (Northern Irish politician)|David Kerr]], Dierdre Speer-White, [[Ken Kerr]], Donal Casey, [[Kenneth McClinton]], Norman McLelland
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Left (Ireland)}}
|Mary McMahon, [[Seamus Lynch]], Patrick John McClean, Gerry Cullen, Veronica McEneaney, Frank McElroy, Teresa McVeigh, Jean Craig, Mary Vernon, Monica Hynds
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Democratic Partnership}}

|[[David Bleakley]], Paul Smyth, Maureen McCaughan, Adrian McKinney, Pearl Snowden, Edwin Sloan, Charles McKee, William Lewis, Erin Tunney
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} McMullan
|[[Oliver McMullan]], John Robb, John McDowell, Wesley H. Holmes, William Dunbar, William Cunning, Helen Craig, Philip Dugdale, Charles Maunsell, Sinead McMullan
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} [[Alan Chambers (Northern Ireland politician)|Chambers]]
|[[Alan Chambers (Northern Ireland politician)|Alan Chambers]], [[Joe Coggle|Joseph Coggle]], Mary Chambers, James Arbuthnot, Robert Irvine, Violet Chambers, Linda Chambers, William Chambers, Ruth Patty, Pearl Brown
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Natural Law Party}}
|James Anderson, Thomas Mullins, Richard Johnson, John Patrick Lyons, John Small
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} [[Democratic Unionist Party|DUP]]
|Thomas Henry O'Brien, William Baxter, Cecil Braniff, Tara Martin Alexandra, Stuart William O'Brien
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Independent (politician)}} Arthur Templeton
|''N/A''
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Ulster's Independent Voice}}
|Andrew Thompson, Sarah Thompson, Bernard McGrath, Susan McGrath, Edward Phillips, Trevor Richards, Christopher Carter, Fidelma Carter, Betty Carter, Susan Carter
|-
| {{Party name with colour|Communist Party of Ireland}}
|''N/A''
|-
|
|[[Ulster Christian Democrats]]
|''N/A''
|}

===Votes summary===
{{bar box
|title=Popular vote
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=500px
|barwidth=290px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Ulster Unionist|#48A5EE|24.17}}
{{bar percent|SDLP|#2AA82C|21.37}}
{{bar percent|DUP|#D46A4C|18.8}}
{{bar percent|Sinn Féin|#326760|15.47}}
{{bar percent|Alliance|#F6CB2F|6.54}}
{{bar percent|United Kingdom Unionist|#660066|3.69}}
{{bar percent|Progressive Unionist|#2B45A2|3.47}}
{{bar percent|Ulster Democratic|black|2.22}}
{{bar percent|Women's Coalition|aqua|1.03}}
{{bar percent|Labour|#CD5C5C|0.85}}
{{bar percent|Independent|#dddddd|0.3}}
{{bar percent|Other|#777777|2.09}}
}}

===Seats summary===
{{bar box
|title=Parliamentary seats
|titlebar=#ddd
|width=500px
|barwidth=290px
|bars=
{{bar percent|Ulster Unionist|#48A5EE|27.27}}
{{bar percent|SDLP|#2AA82C|19.09}}
{{bar percent|DUP|#D46A4C|21.82}}
{{bar percent|Sinn Féin|#326760|15.45}}
{{bar percent|Alliance|#F6CB2F|6.36}}
{{bar percent|United Kingdom Unionist|#660066|2.73}}
{{bar percent|Progressive Unionist|#2B45A2|1.82}}
{{bar percent|Ulster Democratic|black|1.82}}
{{bar percent|Women's Coalition|aqua|1.82}}
{{bar percent|Labour|#CD5C5C|1.82}}
}}

==Suspension, revival and abolition==
Under section 7 of the Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act, it was possible for the Forum to be suspended and revived as necessary via statutory Order, subject to a sunset date of 31 May 1997 when section 3, the provision detailing the existence of the Forum,<ref name=niact1996s3/> would be automatically repealed, and the Forum abolished. However, this date could itself be extended via statutory Order, but could not be set after 31 May 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/11/section/7/enacted|title=Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996: section 7 (as enacted)|website=[[legislation.gov.uk]]|publisher=[[The National Archives]]|date=29 April 1996|access-date=20 August 2023}}</ref>

These powers were made use of several times:
* The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Cessation of Section 3) Order 1997, which suspended the Forum effective 22 March 1997,<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=1997 |number=1046 |si=The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Cessation of Section 3) Order 1997 |article= |date=21 March 1997 |accessdate=20 August 2023}}</ref>
* The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Revival of Section 3) Order 1997, which revived the Forum effective 3 June 1997 and extended its existence to the latest possible permitted date, 31 May 1998,<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=1997 |number=1410 |si=The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Revival of Section 3) Order 1997 |article= |date=3 June 1997|accessdate=20 August 2023}}</ref> and, 
* The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Cessation of Section 3) Order 1998, which abolished the Forum effective 25 April 1998, upon the conclusion of the negotiations for the [[Good Friday Agreement]].<ref>{{Cite legislation UK |type=si |year=1998 |number=1147 |si=The Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 (Cessation of Section 3) Order 1998 |article= |date=24 April 1998|quote="And whereas it appears to the Secretary of State that the negotiations... are concluded;... Section 3 of the Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996 shall cease to have effect."  |accessdate=20 August 2023}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*[http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/11/contents Northern Ireland (Entry to Negotiations, etc) Act 1996]
*[http://www.ark.ac.uk/elections/ff96.htm  The 1996 Forum Elections and the Peace Process] by Nicholas Whyte

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/19981212031403/http://www.ni-forum.gov.uk/ Official site]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20121002223448/http://home.arcor.de/garrymonk/geuk/nif96.htm Outline Results]

{{Northern Ireland elections}}
{{United Kingdom local elections, 1996}}

[[Category:General elections in Northern Ireland]]
[[Category:Northern Ireland peace process]]
[[Category:May 1996 in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:1996 elections in Northern Ireland]]