1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election

The 1973 elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly took place following the publication of the British government's white paper Northern Ireland Constitutional Proposals which proposed a 78-member Northern Ireland Assembly, elected by proportional representation.

1973 Northern Ireland Assembly election

28 June 1973
All 78 seats to the Northern Ireland Assembly 40 seats were needed for a majority
First party Second party Third party   Leader Brian Faulkner Gerry Fitt Ian Paisley Party UUP SDLP DUP Leader since 23 March 1971 21 August 1970 30 September 1971 Leader's seat South Down Belfast North North Antrim Seats won 31[nb 1] 19 8 Seat change 5 new 8 Popular vote 258,790 159,773 78,228 Percentage 35.8% 22.1% 10.8% Swing 12.4% new 7.0%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Oliver Napier William Craig None Party Alliance Vanguard West Belfast Loyalist Coalition Leader since 1972 9 February 1972 n/a Leader's seat Belfast East North Antrim None Seats won 8 7 3 Seat change new new new Popular vote 66,541 75,709 16,869 Percentage 9.2% 11.5% 2.3% Swing new new new   Seventh party   Leader Vivian Simpson Party NI Labour Leader since 1969 Leader's seat Belfast North Seats won 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 18,675 Percentage 2.6% Swing 5.5%
Percentage of seats gained by each of the party
Chief Executive before election Brian Faulkner as Prime Minister of Northern Ireland Elected Chief Executive Brian Faulkner

Northern Ireland 1973–98
This article is part of a series on the politics and government of Northern Ireland
Interim bodies
Northern Ireland Assembly (1973) Northern Ireland Executive (1974) Constitutional Convention (1975) Northern Ireland Assembly (1982) Northern Ireland Forum (1996)
Elections
1973 1975 1982 1996
Members
1973 1975 1982 1996
See also
Anglo-Irish Agreement New Ireland Forum 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections 1973 Northern Ireland border poll
Other countries

A cross-community coalition of the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) under Brian Faulkner, the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) and the Alliance Party of Northern Ireland was agreed in November, and following the Sunningdale Agreement, a Power Sharing Executive was established from 1 January 1974. After opposition from within the UUP and the Ulster Workers Council Strike, the executive and assembly collapsed in May 1974.