Sinn Fein calls for united Ireland debate after historic election win

Sinn Fein deputy leader Michelle O'Neill and party leader Mary Louise McDonald speak to media at the Meadowbank Sports Arena count centre, in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland, May 7, 2022. REUTERS/Clodagh Kilcoyne

BELFAST (Reuters) -Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), hailed its first victory in a Northern Ireland Assembly election as a "defining moment" for the British-controlled region and called for a debate on a united Ireland.

Sinn Fein was ahead of the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) by 27 to 24 seats with two left to declare, making it the first Irish nationalist party to become the largest in the devolved assembly.