[20220511]IN11922_北爱尔兰2022年议会选举：结果和影响.pdf

CRS INSIGHT Prepared for Members and Committees of Congress INSIGHTINSIGHTi i Northern Irelands 2022 Assembly Election: Outcome and Implications May 11, 2022 On May 5, 2022, voters in Northern Irelanda part of the United Kingdom (UK)went to the polls in elections for Northern Irelands Assembly, its regional legislature. In a landmark outcome, the all-Ireland Sinn Fein partywhich supports a united Irelandcame in first place. The Assembly is a key institution in Northern Irelands devolved government, established by the 1998 peace agreement aimed at ending “the Troubles,” a 30-year sectarian conflict in which roughly 3,500 people died. The peace accord mandates power sharing in the devolved government between Northern Irelands two dominant communities: unionists, or Protestants who largely define themselves as British and support remaining part of the UK, and nationalists, or Catholics who consider themselves Irish and may favor a united Ireland. Despite a much improved security situation since 1998, peace and stability in Northern Ireland remain fragile and of continued interest to many in Congress. (Also see CRS Report R46259, Northern Ireland: The Peace Process, Ongoing Challenges,