SDLP and Ulster Unionists should have told voters they planned to go into opposition

THE SDLP and the Ulster Unionist Party should have told voters during the Assembly election campaign that they were going to go into opposition after being elected, Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams said today in Belfast.

The Ulster Unionist Party walked away from the Executive last week and the SDLP followed them this week.

Gerry Adams said Sinn Féin would be focusing over the next few days on concluding discussions on forming the new Executive.

“Sinn Féin is a progressive united Ireland party and we stood in the recent elections on a positive platform to go into government to deliver for all our people,” he said.

“That’s the mandate we received from the people.

“Power-sharing was hard won and we will work to achieve the genuine partnership approach the people clearly want.

“The SDLP and the UUP have chosen to go into opposition. They should have told the people that during the election.

“These were the two lead parties in government for nine years and they made a mess of it. The political institutions were suspended twice and crashed twice and were down for almost five years over that nine-year period.

“Sinn Féin did not walk away; instead, we faced up to the challenges.

“Over the last two mandates, the SDLP and UUP have sat in government, agreed to all the Programmes for Government, implemented them but refused to play any constructive role.

“Our focus in the next few days will be on concluding the discussions on forming the new Executive.”