East Belfast was once a DUP stronghold but their vote-share has diminished in the constituency this year.
The party weren't taking any chances, instead running two candidates in the area in place of their usual three.
This tactic paid off with Joanne Bunting securing her seat early on with 7,253 first preferences, and former councillor and party staffer David Brooks being elected on Saturday afternoon.
Read more: NI election results 2022 LIVE: Northern Ireland Assembly starts to take shape
The Alliance Party returned two MLAs in the area, with party leader Naomi Long topping the poll again, securing her seat with 8,195 first preference votes.
Her colleague on the ticket, Peter McReyonds, was brought over the line thanks to a surplus of votes for the Alliance leader, clinching a seat in the ninth round.
Possibly the biggest growth in the constituency this time around is that of the TUV. Candidate John Ross secured 7.1% of the vote, up from the party's 3.9% in 2017. However, this wasn't enough for him to secure a seat in the constituency.
In contrast to the DUP's tactic in the area, the UUP added a second candidate to its campaign, with MLA and Army veteran Andy Allen joined this time by party press officer Lauren Kerr.
Ms Kerr, an LGBT campaigner keen to also encourage more women to enter politics, is a progressive voice within the UUP. However, she fell short of a seat this time around, with Mr Allen securing one seat for the party in the eleventh count.
But it's understood that the decision to include Ms Kerr on the ballot is an attempt to build her profile for a council seat in local elections next year.
MLA's elected:
- Andy Allen (UUP)
- David Brooks (DUP)
- Naomi Long (Alliance)
- Peter McReynolds (Alliance)
- Joanne Bunting (DUP)
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