Early election must be called in absence of functioning Executive - Mary Lou McDonald TD

Sinn Féin President Mary Lou McDonald has said that in the absence of a functioning Executive, “an early election must be called.”

Speaking following the announcement by the DUP’s Paul Givan that he has resigned as First Minister, the Sinn Féin leader said that today’s decision by the DUP and Givan is all about their own narrow and self-serving political interests.

• The Sinn Féin President was joined by Joint-First Minister Michelle O'Neill and Assembly Finance Minister Conor Murphy in Belfast last night

The move comes as the DUP’s Agricultural Minister Edwin Poots ordered his Department to discontinue checks on Agricultural goods in Ports across the North from midnight last night, a move which Sinn Féin Vice-President Michelle O’Neill dubbed “clearly at odds with where the wider community is at.”

Mary Lou McDonald said that this is not the time for reckless behaviour from the DUP. “Today’s decision for Paul Givan to resign from the Executive is all about their own narrow and self-serving political interests. It is also about the loss of the unionist electoral majority, and the reality that they can no longer get everything their own way”, she said.

“We cannot stagger on in the months ahead without a functioning Executive. Sinn Féin will not facilitate this. In the absence of a functioning Executive, an early election must be called.”

Other ministers can remain in post in the Assembly, but the Executive will no longer be able meet and is unable to take significant policy decisions.