List of political parties in Northern Ireland
Political parties in Northern Ireland lists political parties in Northern Ireland.
The Northern Ireland Assembly is elected by single transferable vote and the composition of the Northern Ireland Executive is by power sharing determined by the D'Hondt system, among the members elected to the Assembly. Party affiliation is generally based on religious and ethnic background.
Although Northern Ireland is a part of the United Kingdom, it has a quite distinct party system from the rest of the country, as the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats do not contest elections there, and the Conservative Party has received only limited support in recent elections.
Some parties, such as Sinn Féin and the Workers' Party, are organised on an all-Ireland basis. Others such as the Conservative Party are organised on an all-United Kingdom basis. There are many Northern Ireland-specific parties and these, on the whole, predominate.
The distinction between "unionist/loyalist", "nationalist/republican" and "other" is not always easy with some parties and individuals. Some have defined themselves less by their position on the "Border Question" than on other political issues.
For example, the former Republican Labour Party/Social Democratic and Labour Party MP Gerry Fitt's career suggests he was first and foremost a socialist rather than a nationalist and he eventually left the SDLP claiming it had drifted from its founding intentions. Similarly the Workers' Party has its roots in the republican Official IRA but nowadays is considered to be a non-violent socialist and nationalist party. Several parties strive to be avowedly non-sectarian and would not consider themselves to be either unionist or nationalist. The Northern Ireland Assembly requires MLAs to designate themselves either "Unionist", "Nationalist" or "Other." This is a designation that is particularly resented by those who designate as "Other", as they have no input on who becomes First or Deputy First Minister.
There are some who see the terms "Unionist" and "Nationalist"/"Republican" as being of more relevance to the community that the party seeks to represent rather than the position on the border question. Several of the "Other" parties strive to be non-sectarian but have a clear position on the border.
Political parties with elected representation at a local, national, UK or European level
Party details
Party representation
Other registered parties
Unionist and loyalist
- Northern Ireland Conservatives
- UK Independence Party
Nationalist and republican
- Communist Party of Ireland
- Éirígí - Registered to contest local elections only
- Fianna Fáil - Registered, but has not contested elections, in partnership with the SDLP
- Irish Republican Socialist Party - Registered to contest local elections only
- Republican Network for Unity - Registered
Others
- Labour Party in Northern Ireland - The British Labour Party have a policy not to stand in Northern Ireland. Until recently it was not possible for residents to even join the party; however this was changed on legal advice. The Labour Party has recently set up an officially recognised branch party in the region. The SDLP MPs unofficially take the Labour whip.
- Northern Ireland Liberal Democrats - The Liberal Democrats currently have a policy not to stand in Northern Ireland but to support their sister party, the Alliance, with many holding membership of both, and Alliance peers take the Liberal Democrat whip.
- Official Monster Raving Loony Party - Registered, but has not yet contested elections
- Socialist Party
- Socialist Workers Party
- Veritas - Registered, but has not yet contested elections
- Workers' Party of Ireland
Unregistered parties
- 32 County Sovereignty Movement - Does not contest elections, operates as a pressure group
- Republican Sinn Féin
- Respect Party
- National Party
Inactive parties
Unionist and loyalist
- British Ulster Dominion Party
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Independent Unionist Association
- Labour Unionist Party
- NI21
- Northern Ireland Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- Protestant Coalition
- Protestant Unionist Party
- Ulster Constitution Party
- Ulster Democratic Party
- Ulster Loyalist Democratic Party
- Ulster Popular Unionist Party
- Ulster Progressive Unionist Association
- Ulster Protestant League
- Ulster Resistance
- Ulster Unionist Labour Association
- Unionist Party of Northern Ireland
- United Kingdom Unionist Party - deregistered 2008
- United Ulster Unionist Council
- United Ulster Unionist Party
- United Unionist Coalition
- Vanguard Progressive Unionist Party
- Volunteer Political Party
Nationalist and Republican
- All Ireland Anti-Partition League
- Federation of Labour
- Fianna Uladh
- Irish Anti-Partition League
- Independent Socialist Party
- Irish Independence Party
- National Democratic Party
- National League of the North
- National Unity
- Nationalist Party
- Northern Council for Unity
- Official Sinn Féin
- People's Democracy
- Red Republican Party
- Republican Congress
- Republican Labour Party
- Saor Éire
- Socialist Republican Party
- Unity
Communist
- Communist Party of Ireland
- World Socialist Party
Others
- Belfast Labour Party
- Commonwealth Labour Party
- Communist Party of Ireland
- Communist Party of Northern Ireland
- Irish Labour Party
- Labour coalition
- Labour Party of Northern Ireland
- Northern Ireland Labour Party
- Northern Ireland Women's Coalition
- Newtownabbey Labour Party
- Newtownabbey Ratepayers Association
- Natural Law Party
- Social Democratic Party - The post-1988 rump of the party stood in a Northern Ireland by-election in 1990; the party as a whole existed and was more prominent in Great Britain from 1981 to 1988 although the post-1990 rump group still exists.
- Ulster Independence Movement
- Ulster Liberal Party
- Ulster Movement for Self-Determination
- United Labour Party
- Ulster Third Way - deregistered 2005
- Vote for Yourself Party - disbanded April 2009, de-registered 8 June 2009
Flowchart of all political parties in Northern Ireland
Party leaders
Party leaders serving 10 years or more are| Leader | Years | Party/Period | Constituency |
| Ian Paisley | 42y | Protestant Unionist Party 1966-1971 Democratic Unionist Party 1971-2008 | Bannside, North Antrim |
| Ruairí Ó Brádaigh | 36y | Sinn Féin 1970-1983 Republican Sinn Féin 1986-2009 | |
| Gerry Adams | 35y | Sinn Féin 1983-2018 | West Belfast, Louth |
| William Norton | 28y | Irish Labour 1932-1960 | |
| Tomás Mac Giolla | 26y | Sinn Féin 1962-1970 Official Sinn Féin 1970-1977 Sinn Féin The Workers Party 1977-1982 Workers' Party 1982-1988 | |
| Hugh Smyth | 23y | Progressive Unionist Party 1979-2002 | |
| John Hume | 22y | Social Democratic and Labour Party 1979-2001 | Foyle |
| Albert McElroy | 19y | Ulster Liberal Party 1956-1975 | |
| Lord Craigavon | 19y | Ulster Unionist Party 1921-1940 | Down, North Down |
| John Redmond | 18y | Irish Parliamentary Party 1900-1918 | Waterford City |
| Lord Brookeborough | 17y | Ulster Unionist Party 1946-1963 | Lisnaskea |
| James Molyneaux | 16y | Ulster Unionist Party 1979-1995 | South Antrim, Lagan Valley |
| Joseph Devlin | 16y | Nationalist Party 1918-1934 | Belfast Falls, Fermanagh and Tyrone, Belfast Central |
| Gerry Fitt | 15y | Republican Labour Party 1964-1970 Social Democratic and Labour Party 1970-1979 | Belfast West, Belfast Dock |
| James Kilfedder | 15y | Ulster Popular Unionist Party 1980-1995 | North Down |
| Margaret Buckley | 13y | Sinn Féin 1937-1950 | |
| Robert McCartney | 13y | UK Unionist Party 1995-2008 | North Down |
| James McSparran | 13y | Nationalist Party 1945-1958 | Mourne |
| Oliver Napier | 12y | Alliance Party 1972-1984 | |
| Thomas Joseph Campbell | 11y | Nationalist Party 1934-1945 | Belfast Central |
| Sir Edward Carson | 11y | Ulster Unionist Party 1910-1921 | Dublin University, Belfast Duncairn |
| John Alderdice | 11y | Alliance Party 1987-1998 | |
| David Trimble | 10y | Ulster Unionist Party 1995-2005 | Upper Bann |