The new prime minister has promised a referendum in 10 years

After two years of political paralysis, Michelle O’Neill, 47, became the first pro-unification politician to be appointed head of the Northern Irish government. “My election as Prime Minister reflects the change that is happening on this island”she declared interview Sunday broadcast on the channel Sky News

. “We can share power” Between republicans and unionists committed to keeping Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom, “We can make it stable, we can work together every day in terms of public services, and also pursue legitimate aspirations”she said.

to her question “Referendum on Island Unification Expected in Next 10 Years”The vice-president of Sinn Féin, a party favorable to the unification of Ireland, replied in the affirmative. “Yes. I believe we are in a decade of opportunity.”, “There are many things that change the old norm, the nature of the state, the fact that a nationalist republic was never meant to be a prime minister.”

Michelle O’Neill continued, “It’s all about this change”.

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For its part, the British Govt “Seeing no real perspective” Such a referendum and believe that Northern Ireland has a future “Guaranteed for Decades to Come” Within the United Kingdom, in a document published this week. After his party’s victory in the May 2022 elections, Chief Sinn Féin The 1998 Good Friday Agreement in Northern Ireland led to a boycott by DUP unionists of devolved institutions, ending three decades of conflict in which 3,500 people were killed.

The DUP has denounced post-Brexit trade arrangements as a threat to Northern Ireland’s place within the United Kingdom, but this week reached an agreement with the British government, though not unanimous among unionists.