Sinn Fein calls for united Ireland debate after historic election win

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill arrives for a press conference with Finance Minister Conor Murphy and Sinn Fein MP John Finucane, at Stormont parliament buildings after a meeting with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland to form a power-sharing government, in Belfast, Northern Ireland, May 9, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), hailed its first victory in a Northern Ireland Assembly election as a "defining moment" for the British-controlled region and called for a debate on a united Ireland.

Sinn Fein was ahead of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) by 27 to 24 seats with two left to declare, making it the first Irish nationalist party to become the largest in the devolved assembly.