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Local Government Election (NI) - Wednesday 30 May 1973


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Local Government Election (NI)
Wednesday 30 May 1973

The following are the (draft) results of the 1973 District Council (local government) elections held in Northern Ireland on Wednesday 30 May 1973.

Introduction

The elections on 30 May 1973 were held to elect 526 councillors to the 26 new District Councils of Northern Ireland. The voting in this election was by means of 'proportional representation', and this was the first time PR had been used in Northern Ireland since the 1920's.
See:
Northern Ireland Office (NIO). (1973) Questions & Answers on Proportional Representation. Belfast: Northern Ireland Office (NIO).

Summary of Results

Electorate:
Spoiled votes:
Total valid vote: 690,979
Percentage turnout: 68.1%

Party
First Preference Votes
% Valid Poll
Official Unionist Party (OUP)
286,112
(41.4%)
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland (APNI)
94,474
(13.7%)
Social Democratic & Labour Party (SDLP)
92,600
(13.4%)
Loyalist Coalition
52,875
(7.7%)
Independent / Non Party
51,197
(7.4%)
Democratic Unionist Party (DUP)
29,610
(4.3%)
Republican Clubs (Rep. C.)
20,680
(3.0%)
Northern Ireland Labour Party (NILP)
17,422
(2.5%)
Nationalist Party / Unity Party (Nat./Unity)
16,737
(2.4%)
Vanguard Unionist Loyalist Coalition (VULC)
14,467
(2.1%)
Independent Unionist Party (Ind. U.)
7,818
(1.1%)
Republican Labour (Rep. Lab.)
2,594
(0.4%)
Others
4,393
(0.6%)
Total
690,979
(100%)

Source: Flackes and Elliott (1994)

Details of distribution of seats on the 26 District Councils

Council
DUP
VULC
LOY.
Coal
OFF.
U.
Ind.
U.
APNI
NILP
SDLP
Rep. C.
Nat/
Unity
Others
Antrim
1
1
0
9
0
2
0
0
0
0
2
Ards
0
1
0
11
0
2
1
1
0
0
1
Armagh
2
0
0
11
0
1
0
5
0
0
1
Ballymena
5
1
0
9
0
1
0
0
0
0
5
Ballymoney
1
0
0
9
0
1
0
2
0
0
3
Banbridge
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
1
0
0
3
Belfast
2
1
2
25
2
8
2
7
2
0
0
Carrickfergus
0
0
6
6
0
3
0
0
0
0
0
Castlereagh
0
0
3
10
0
5
0
0
0
0
1
Coleraine
0
0
0
13
1
3
0
1
0
0
2
Cookstown
0
0
1
8
0
0
0
3
1
0
2
Craigavon
3
2
3
10
0
4
0
2
0
0
1
Derry
0
0
9
0
0
4
0
10
1
3
0
Down
0
1
0
8
0
2
0
8
0
0
1
Dungannon
0
0
0
11
0
0
0
5
0
4
0
Fermanagh
0
0
0
9
1
0
0
4
0
4
2
Larne
0
0
8
1
0
3
0
0
0
0
3
Limavady
0
0
0
8
0
2
0
4
0
0
1
Lisburn
4
1
0
14
0
3
0
1
0
0
0
Magherafelt
0
1
1
5
0
0
0
6
1
0
1
Moyle
0
0
0
7
0
0
0
2
0
0
7
Newry and Mourne
0
0
0
3
0
4
0
13
2
0
8
Newtownabbey
3
0
2
12
0
3
1
0
0
0
0
North Down
0
0
4
9
0
7
0
0
0
0
0
Omagh
0
0
0
8
0
3
0
4
0
2
3
Strabane
0
0
1
6
0
2
0
4
0
0
2
Total
21
9
40
233
4
63
4
83
7
13
49

Source: Flackes and Elliott (1994)


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