Northern Ireland Assembly
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Overview
The Northern Ireland Assembly represents the people of Northern Ireland. It has the power to make decisions and pass laws in certain areas, known as devolved matters. This includes areas such as education economic development, the environment and health.
The UK Parliament makes decisions on reserved matters, such as broadcasting and import and export laws, and could transfer responsibility for these to the Northern Ireland Assembly.
Areas such as defence and taxation are excepted matters. The UK Parliament is responsible for excepted matters.
There are 90 elected Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). Each of Northern Ireland’s 18 constituencies has five MLAs to represent it.
Who can vote in these elections
Voting in these elections
Northern Ireland Assembly elections usually take place every five years.
Northern Ireland Assembly elections use the Single Transferable Vote system.
The ballot paper will list the candidates for your constituency. You use numbers to rank these candidates in order of preference. You can rank as many or as few candidates as you want to.
Find your candidates
Looking for the candidates standing in your area? Enter your postcode to view a list. Your candidates will be available a few weeks before polling day.
Single Transferable Vote Video - Northern Ireland
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