2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation
The 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation followed on from the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, but was delayed to February 2024. The 22 months delay in the restoration of the Northern Ireland Executive resulted from a boycott of the process by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). Eventually it resulted in the formation of the Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly, led by Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy First Minister.
Sinn Fein President Mary Lou McDonald (right) and vice president Michelle O'Neill
DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson
Speaker Edwin Poots MLA (right), Prime Minister Rishi Sunak MP (center), Secretary of State Chris Heaton-Harris (left) In Belfast on 6 February 2024
Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly
The Executive of the 7th Northern Ireland Assembly was appointed on 3 February 2024, following the 2022 election to the seventh Northern Ireland Assembly held on 5 May 2022 and the protracted negotiations leading up to the 2024 Northern Ireland Executive formation. The newly elected assembly met for the first time on 13 May 2022. It is led by Michelle O'Neill of Sinn Féin as First Minister and Emma Little-Pengelly of the DUP as deputy First Minister.
Image: Michelle O'Neill (cropped from Martin Mc Guinness, Michelle O'Neill, Mary Lou Mc Donald and Gerry Adams)
Image: Official portrait of Emma Little Pengelly crop 2