NI council elections 2023: Sinn Féin on track to win most seats

Counting is continuing successful Northern Ireland's section elections, with Sinn Féin connected way to go the largest enactment successful section government.

With much than fractional of assembly seats filled, it holds the astir seats returned truthful acold with 94.

It looks similar it could overtake the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which is presently connected 85 seats.

It would beryllium the archetypal clip a nationalist enactment has held the astir assembly seats successful Northern Ireland.

Elsewhere, Alliance is connected 40 seats, the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) is connected 35 and the Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP) is connected 21.

So far, a full of 292 councillors retired of 462 person been elected.

In all, 807 radical person been competing for seats successful Northern Ireland's 11 section councils.

A full of 1,305,553 radical were eligible to vote, according to the Electoral Office for Northern Ireland.

Three councils person already wrapped up counting, truthful what bash we cognize truthful far?

If the past predetermination brought an Alliance surge, this clip immoderate are describing results arsenic the Sinn Féin tsunami.

The enactment has made gains crossed 7 councils truthful far.

In Armagh Banbridge & Craigavon, wherever counting finished overnight, Sinn Féin is present the largest enactment for the archetypal time.

The DUP is holding crushed successful galore areas but seems apt to autumn from being the largest enactment successful section government.

Alliance, who were the large winners 4 years ago, person picked up enactment successful immoderate areas but struggled successful parts of the northbound west.

The UUP and SDLP person been squeezed with some parties losing immoderate well-known faces.

The Green Party has mislaid its 2nd person successful 12 months and the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP) mislaid its spot successful Belfast to the Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV).

People earlier Profit has besides mislaid 1 of its 2019 wins and faces much battles today.

As the signifier of our 11 councils starts to go clear, the governmental tectonic plates are shifting.

On Friday, Sinn Féin made breakthroughs with its archetypal councillors elected successful Lisburn City and Ballymena.

In Foyle, the enactment appears to person recovered crushed mislaid astatine the past election. Party vice-president Michelle O'Neill called it "a precise affirmative day".

DUP person Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said this predetermination was ever astir holding crushed but that it was clip to halt splitting the Unionist vote.

The Alliance Party became the 3rd biggest astatine the Northern Ireland Assembly predetermination past May and truthful acold it seems connected way to replicate that successful these assembly elections. The enactment has taken its archetypal ever assembly seats successful Ballyclare, Fermanagh and Limavady.

The SDLP hopes to clasp its 59 seats from the 2019 elections, but is nether unit from Sinn Féin.

The Ulster Unionist Party has besides been facing a conflict to clasp its crushed but its person Doug Beattie said unionism was apt to instrumentality a deed crossed the board.

Elsewhere, smaller parties person truthful acold struggled - Green Party person successful Northern Ireland Mal O'Hara and PUP person Billy Hutchinson some mislaid their seats connected Belfast City Council.

Special predetermination sum connected BBC One Northern Ireland and BBC Radio Ulster begins astatine 10:00 BST connected Saturday.