Scuffles at Stormont as Trimble is finally re-elected

David Trimble was finally re–elected as First Minister of the Northern Ireland Assembly after more last–minute procedural wrangles at Stormont.

The was cleared after the Assembly earlier agreed to allow the cross–community Alliance Party to temporarily declare themselves as unionists.

The re–designation of three Alliance MLAs paved the way for Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble to return as Northern Ireland First Minister and incoming SDLP leader Mark Durkan to become Deputy First Minister.

After the vote, Mr Trimble struggled to make a statement outside the chamber against a background of barracking from opponents within his own party. Scuffles broke out as Stormont security guards struggled to maintain order.

The First Minister said that the parties in the Assembly had shown in the last year that "we can deliver" and he intended to ensure that would continue

Under the Assembly's cross–community consent voting mechanism, Mr Trimble and Mr Durkan failed to get elected last Friday by one unionist vote despite attracting the support of over 70% of MLAs.

Two Ulster Unionists Peter Weir and Pauline Armitage opposed their leader.