Alex Maskey invested as 'Mayor' of Belfast

Belfast saw its first republican Lord Mayor invested last night after Alliance Party councillors gave their backing to Sinn Fein's Alex Maskey as first citizen.

Mr Maskey, a councillor since 1983, was voted in after the first round of voting netted the leading republican 26 votes he needed to win the simple majority ballot.

Crucially, the vote was swung by the three-member Alliance Party who backed Mr Maskey despite a massive backlash from unionist council members.

The unionists had put up two candidates in opposition, Councillor Chris McGimpsey of the UUP and Councillor Robin Newton of the DUP, who received 15 and 10 votes respectively.

After the vote was taken, unionists staged a walkout in protest at the result having refused to name a candidate for the post of deputy lord mayor.

Mr Maskey received the chain of office from outgoing incumbent Jim Rodgers of the UUP to cheers of approval from supporters in the visitor's gallery. The newly created lord mayor then pledged to dedicate himself to creating an "inclusive" society for all the citizens of Belfast.

"The task ahead, and my pledge to all the citizens of this city, is to work with them and their political representatives to ensure that Belfast City Council is a council that is inclusive and which treated all its citizens equally," he said.

Following the vote Alliance Councillor David Alderdice said: "Tonight we heard Mayor Maskey’s promise to represent all the people of Belfast and to be inclusive. The onus is now on him and his colleagues to translate these fine words into action.

"I believe Alliance did the right thing, and that our move will help to wed Sinn Fein even closer to the democratic process.

"With my whole heart I despise the actions of the IRA over last 30 years, but equally I believe in democracy - and that is what tonight was about."

However, unionist members were not in a similarly conciliatory mood and former lord mayor Sammy Wilson of the DUP described the Alliance Party's decision as "kamikaze tactics".

The PUP's Hugh Smyth, also a former lord mayor, said that Mr Maskey "will never be accepted by the people of the Shankill. You are not wanted in this city".

(GMcG)