Northern Ireland's DUP nominates Paul Givan as first minister

By Karim El-Bar

LONDON (AA) - Edwin Poots, the new leader of Northern Ireland’s Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), has nominated Paul Givan as first minister of Northern Ireland’s devolved government.

The current first minister and former DUP leader Arlene Foster stepped down on Monday.

The DUP are currently the largest party in the devolved parliament. It is a unionist party that has seen a drop in support following the Brexit deal’s Northern Ireland protocol that put a trade barrier down the Irish sea between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The party forced Foster to step down as leader over her handling of the Northern Ireland protocol, hence Poots’ election as the new leader.

Givan, who is a member of the Northern Irish devolved parliament, said: “There is a huge responsibility that comes with this position, particularly in serving the people of Northern Ireland.”

He originally entered politics at the age of 17 as a researcher for Poots.

Usually, the leader of the largest party, currently the DUP, also serves as first minister. Poots, however, said he was now splitting the roles so that he could focus on internal party matters.

Following nomination, the DUP and Sinn Fein will have to agree on the names of first minister and deputy first minister.

Sinn Fein is the second largest party in the devolved parliament, and are from the opposite, republican-nationalist side of the Northern Irish political spectrum.

Failure to agree within a week will trigger the collapse of the devolved administration and will pave the way for early elections.