Sinn Fein emerges as dominant force in Northern Ireland local politics.

Sinn Fein is set to become the largest party in Northern Ireland's local elections, with 128 seats out of 400 counted so far. The party seeks unification with the Republic of Ireland and its success is seen as a message to restore the power-sharing government, which has been suspended for over a year. The Democratic Unionist Party, which wants to keep Northern Ireland part of the United Kingdom, secured 111 seats. The power-sharing rules established by the 1998 Good Friday peace accord require the main British unionist and Irish nationalist parties to govern together.