Sinn Fein called for a debate on the creation of a united Ireland after securing a historic victory in the Northern Ireland Assembly election.
As counting continued into Saturday evening, the latest results confirmed what had long been likely, that the Republican party would force the DUP into second place.
The party’s vice president Michelle O’Neill said the result, which saw them become the largest at Stormont for the first time, ‘ushers in a new era’.
She said there should now be an ‘honest debate’ around the party’s goal of unifying the territory with the Republic of Ireland.
The victory will not change the region’s status, as any referendum required to leave the United Kingdom is at the discretion of the British government and likely years away.
But the symbolic importance is huge, ending a century of domination by pro-British parties, supported predominantly by the region’s Protestant population.
Shortly after 7pm on Saturday, 88 of 90 Assembly seats had been filled.
Sinn Fein currently has 27 seats while the DUP has 24, the Alliance Party 17, the Ulster Unionists (UUP) nine and the SDLP on seven, with four others.
The Alliance Party has also enjoyed a successful election and will emerge as the third biggest party at Stormont, while the UUP and SDLP have had disappointing results.
Ulster Unionist leader Doug Beattie was elected in Upper Bann despite earlier fears he could lose his seat.
However there was upset for the SDLP when deputy leader and outgoing Stormont infrastructure minister Nichola Mallon lost her seat in North Belfast.
In her declaration speech in Magherafelt after topping the poll in Mid Ulster, Ms O’Neill said: ‘Today represents a very significant moment of change.
‘Today ushers in a new era which I believer presents us all with an opportunity to reimagine relationships in this society on the basis of fairness, on the basis of equality and the basis of social justice.
‘Irrespective of religious, political or social backgrounds my commitment is to make politics work.’
In a press conference shortly afterwards, party president Mary Lou McDonald said the Stormont powersharing Executive needed to be re-established.
She said: ‘We look forward to an Executive being established, I look forward to Michelle O’Neill being nominated as first minister and to have politics that delivers for people.
‘We would appeal to everybody to take stock, take breaths and really assess the huge responsibility that all of us carry.
‘Collectively we have an obligation to get government up and running.’
The DUP collapsed Northern Ireland’s powersharing Executive earlier this year as part of its protest against the Northern Ireland Protocol, and has vowed not to re-enter government until their concerns are met.
Alliance Party leader Naomi Long has said nothing can be delivered without government in Northern Ireland after her cross-community party’s election success.
The DUP, led by Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, will comfortably retain its position as the largest unionist party despite a drop in its overall share of the vote.
Speaking at the count at the Titanic Exhibition Centre, Sir Jeffrey said unionism ‘has held its ground’.
‘The unionist vote remains strong, we are the largest designation in the Assembly, I think there is a lot of spin around results and I’m very pleased with how the DUP has done in our constituencies,’ he said.
‘We’ve held a remarkable number of seats where people were predicting all kinds of negative things, so we have strong foundations, we continue to build on them.’
Asked whether Northern Ireland will have devolved government in 2022, Sir Jeffrey said: ‘Let’s cross all the bridges when we get to them.’
He also said he will make it clear next week whether he will return to Stormont or remain at Westminster.
Sir Jeffrey was elected on the first count in Lagan Valley.
TUV leader Jim Allister retained his seat in North Antrim, but it is looking unlikely his party will win any further seats.
Some 239 candidates stood across 18 constituencies.
Five Assembly seats are up for grabs in each of the 18 constituencies.
Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote proportional representation electoral system.
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