Upper Bann by-election, 1990
Encyclopedia
The 1990 by-election in Upper Bann
was caused by the death of the sitting Ulster Unionist Party
Member of Parliament
Harold McCusker
on February 2, 1990.
The by-election was especially notable for three reasons. Firstly, eleven candidates stood in the by-election, which to date is the record for a parliamentary election in Northern Ireland
. Secondly, amongst the eleven were candidates for the Conservative Party
and the Social Democratic Party
(SDP), both contesting parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland for the first time since the "Equal Citizenship" campaign had sought to get the major UK parties to organise in the province. Finally the successful Ulster Unionist candidate was David Trimble
, who five years later would become the leader of the party.
The SDP candidate took only 154 votes, and finished in eleventh and last place - the worst performance in a by-election by any party with MPs sitting in the House of Commons since the English National Party
during 1976.
Upper Bann (UK Parliament constituency)
Upper Bann is a Parliamentary Constituency in the United Kingdom House of Commons. The current Member of Parliament for Upper Bann is David Simpson.-Boundaries:...
was caused by the death of the sitting Ulster Unionist Party
Ulster Unionist Party
The Ulster Unionist Party – sometimes referred to as the Official Unionist Party or, in a historic sense, simply the Unionist Party – is the more moderate of the two main unionist political parties in Northern Ireland...
Member of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
Harold McCusker
Harold McCusker
James Harold McCusker was a Northern Ireland Ulster Unionist Party politician who served as his party's deputy leader....
on February 2, 1990.
The by-election was especially notable for three reasons. Firstly, eleven candidates stood in the by-election, which to date is the record for a parliamentary election in Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. Secondly, amongst the eleven were candidates for the Conservative Party
Conservative Party (UK)
The Conservative Party, formally the Conservative and Unionist Party, is a centre-right political party in the United Kingdom that adheres to the philosophies of conservatism and British unionism. It is the largest political party in the UK, and is currently the largest single party in the House...
and the Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)
A Social Democratic Party was formed in the United Kingdom in 1981 by a group of dissident Labour Party Members of Parliament : Roy Jenkins, David Owen, Bill Rodgers and Shirley Williams, who became known as the "Gang of Four"....
(SDP), both contesting parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland for the first time since the "Equal Citizenship" campaign had sought to get the major UK parties to organise in the province. Finally the successful Ulster Unionist candidate was David Trimble
David Trimble
William David Trimble, Baron Trimble, PC , is a politician from Northern Ireland. He served as Leader of the Ulster Unionist Party , was the first First Minister of Northern Ireland , and was a Member of the British Parliament . He is currently a life peer for the Conservative Party...
, who five years later would become the leader of the party.
The SDP candidate took only 154 votes, and finished in eleventh and last place - the worst performance in a by-election by any party with MPs sitting in the House of Commons since the English National Party
English National Party
English National Party has been the name of various political parties of England.-The original ENP:The English National Party was founded as the John Hampden New Freedom Party in the 1960s by Frank Hansford-Miller. In 1974, it renamed itself the "English Nationalist Party"...
during 1976.