Northern Ireland election results live: Ballot counting underway after snap vote to save power-sharing

Crucial election attempts to restore power-sharing to Northern Ireland and avoid direct rule being imposed from London

Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster arrives to cast her vote at a polling station in Brookeborough, Northern Ireland (AP)

Ballot counting is taking place across Northern Ireland today, to ascertain the result of an emergency election called in a bid to save power-sharing in the region.

A higher than average turn-out is understood to have cast their ballots in the crucial vote for the Northern Ireland election.

First results are expected late this afternoon.

• Emergency elections called after Sinn Fein pulled out of power-sharing in January
• Vote attempts to elect fresh government willing to return to power-sharing and restore devolution
• If unsuccessful, Northern Ireland faces being run directly from London for the first time in a decade

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Voting takes place using a Proportional Representation system of Single Transferable Vote. This means that rather than marking ballot papers with an 'x' by the name of a preferred candidate, voters in Northern Ireland assign preferences by ranking candidates 1, 2, 3 etc. Vote counting therefore takes longer than in Westminster elections.

The election was sparked by nationalist party Sinn Fein's decision to pull out of power-sharing at Stormont. They were protesting their unionist counterpart's behaviour in how they handled allegations of a major financial scandal.

The Renewable Heat Incentive scheme, presided over by Democratic Unionist Party leader Arlene Foster, appears to have cost the taxpayer some £480 million due to gross mismanagement. She strongly denies any wrong doing. After she refused to step down, Sinn Fein resigned from power-sharing, meaning the DUP also lost their positions.

The elections are an attempt to elect a fresh government which will be willing to resurrect power-sharing. If this does not happen, Northern Ireland may have to be ruled directly from London in lieu of devolution.

[3 March 2017 15:52 · Siobhan Fenton]

Now we turn to one of the most interesting constituencies of the election- Fermanagh and South Tyrone- home to DUP leader Arlene Foster.This election was sparked by Foster's refusal to step aside while an independent inquiry could be carried out into allegations she was implicated in a major financial scandal. She has insisted she has done nothing wrong and the voters will understand this and safely return her.She has topped the poll in the constituency but failed to get enough votes to meet the quota, meaning she's not made it through on the first count. This is because Northern Ireland uses single transferrable vote, rather than first past the post, so transfers are redistributed between candidates until someone meets the quota. There is little doubt Foster will make it through on transfers, but still an underwhelming performance for a high profile politician and party leader who should be able to easily dominate the ballot box.

[3 March 2017 19:35 · Siobhan Fenton]

Results are continuing to trickle in across Northern Ireland and a clearer picture of the vote is beginning to emerge.The biggest changes seem to be- Sinn Féin has seen a considerable surge, at the expense of the more moderate nationalist party, the SDLP, as well as smaller socialist parties such as People Before Profit- The more moderate unionist party, the UUP, has also seen a considerable vote drop, with a number of key figures expected to lose seats- The DUP has seen a reduction in vote share overall, but looks set to cling on to most of its seats. This is an undoubtedly poor performance for the party under normal circumstances, but considering the considerable backlash to the 'cash for ash' scandal, the DUP should feel they have had a lucky escape

[3 March 2017 20:16 · Siobhan Fenton]

Breaking news- UUP leader Mike Nesbitt has stood down.The party has performed poorly in the elections, despite a perfect storm of conditions which should have made it an easy win for them against their rivals in the DUP.In an emotional speech, Nesbitt told supporters "It has been a terrible night...The buck stops here."He will remain acting leader until the party has the chance to elect a replacement for him.Nesbitt's resignation comes despite him being returned as MLA in his own constituency. He is the first major player to be felled by the election results.Throughout Northern Ireland, the UUP has sign its vote share ebb towards the centrist Alliance Party, while also failing to make significant gains at the DUP's expense.

[3 March 2017 21:18 · Siobhan Fenton]

Two senior DUP politicians have now lost their seats, in what is shaping up to be a damaging night for the party.The party's chairman Lord Morrow has lost his seat, in a major blow for the party. Lord Morrow is best known for his efforts to criminalise sex work in Northern Ireland, however the legislation is currently being challenged in court amid concerns it puts sex workers at greater risk of violence.Nelson McCausland is another senior DUP politician who has also failed to be re-elected. McCausland is well-known for his socially conservative views. He has expressed deeply negative views about LGBT people, describing same-sex relationships as unnatural. While Culture Minister for Northern Ireland he ordered Ulster Museum to stop stating in their material that evolution happened, due to his evangelical Christian belief in Creationism. The museum declined to do so.

[3 March 2017 21:55 · Siobhan Fenton]

With just over two thirds of seats announced now, here's a quick recap of the state of play for all the parties.64 of 90 seats declared so far:Sinn Féin: 23DUP: 17UUP: 9Alliance: 7SDLP: 6People Before Profit: 1Independent: 1

[3 March 2017 22:13 · Siobhan Fenton]

SDLP MP Mark Durkan (not to be confused with SDLP MLA Mark H. Durkan), has conceded his party just couldn't keep pace with Sinn Féin in this election.He told BBC Northern Ireland: "The fact is that even with increasing our vote tally, we didn't increase our vote share. Sinn Féin rode the wave of anger over RHI and Arlene Foster very well and that tide basically overtook us."

[3 March 2017 22:16 · Siobhan Fenton]

Clare Sugden is the independent MLA who has been elected.She is the only person to be elected to the Northern Ireland Assembly without the backing of a political party machine. This makes her a rare politician at Stormont, where party politics and fierce tribalism dominates.Sugden has previously served as Justice Minister in the Northern Irish executive and has indicated she'd quite like to have her old job back, should the opportunity arise if/ when Stormont is back up and running.

[3 March 2017 22:33 · Siobhan Fenton]

Ian Paisley Jnr has told local media that the DUP must "reach out the hand of forebearance to other parties". The uncharacteristically reflective tone of his language here may suggest a move by the DUP to soften their approach towards other parties, now so much power lies in their hands.

[3 March 2017 22:39 · Siobhan Fenton]

Steven Agnew, leader of the Northern Irish Green Party, has been re-elected in North Down.It's been a strong election for the party, who have also kept the seat of party Deputy leader Clare Bailey in South Belfast, which they first achieved in the election of May 2016.For a country so focused on the constitutional question, parties who have other ideological focuses can really strong to get a foot in the door at Stormont. The Greens have been surging in popularity in recent years, due to a progressive agenda on various issues beyond the environment and are one of the region's strongest proponents of marriage equality and over turning Northern Ireland's abortion ban.

[4 March 2017 00:02 · Siobhan Fenton]

The SDLP have secured a last-minute unexpected victory in Lagan Valley.Candidate Pat Catney has reached the quota, thanks to UUP transfers.There's been complete shock at this result, few even in the SDLP thought this was possible.