Sinn Fein says election win ushers in new era for Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill speaks at the Meadowbank Sports Arena count centre, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

Sinn Fein's emergence as Northern Ireland's largest political party represents a defining moment in the British-run region's history and ushers in a new era, the regional head of the Irish nationalist party said on Saturday.

"Today represents a very significant moment of change. It's a defining moment for our politics and our people," Michelle O'Neill, head of Sinn Fein in Northern Ireland, said after her party for the first time secured the most votes in an election to the regional parliament.

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and party leader Mary Louise McDonald arrive at the end of the mid-Ulster count, after Sinn Fein were voted as the largest party in Northern Ireland, at the Meadowbank Sports Arena count centre, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

(Reporting by Amanda Ferguson and Conor Humphries; Editing by Kirsten Donovan)

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and party leader Mary Louise McDonald speak to media at the Meadowbank Sports Arena count centre, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill visits the Meadowbank Sports Arena count centre, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Jason Cairnduff