Westminster '97

 

NORTH BELFAST CANDIDATE GERRY KELLY
Sinn Fein Negotiator

Gerry Kelly is one of Sinn Fein's main spokespersons and negotiators. He became involved in street politics during the civil rights campaign of the late sixties. Gerry has spent his entire adult life as a political activist.

Gerry Kelly has been an enthusiastic and energetic proponent of Sinn Fein's peace strategy. Along with Martin Mc Guinness he took part in the protracted secret negotiations with the British prior to the 1994 IRA cessation.

Gerry was elected as one of Sinn Fein's team of peace negotiators at the May 1996 elections in the Six-Counties.

 

CONSTITUENCY PROFILE

Belfast North

Party	1992	1996
SF	4,693	7,681
SDLP	7,615	7,493
UUP	17,240	6,938
DUP	---	7,778

Seasoned election commentators like to talk of battlegrounds and North Belfast fits this title in many ways. The sting has been taken out of the election by the agreement in the unionist camp on sitting 72 year old Ulster Unionist MP Cecil Walker running uncontested. In the May `96 elections it was one seat each for Sinn Fein, the SDLP, UUP and DUP with less than a thousand votes separating the four parties. Interest now centres on Sinn Fein's Gerry Kelly. Will he be able to maintain the lead established over the SDLP in 1996 when only the DUP had a vote greater that Sinn Fein?

Map of Constituencies