1986 South Down by-election

Last updated

1986 South Down
by-election
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg
  1983
1987  

South Down constituency
 First partySecond party
  Enoch Powell Allan Warren.jpg No image.png
Candidate Enoch Powell Eddie McGrady
Party UUP SDLP
Popular vote24,96323,121
Percentage48.4%44.8
SwingIncrease2.svg8.1%Increase2.svg5.5%

SouthDownConstituency.svg
Location of South Down within Northern Ireland

MP before election

Enoch Powell
Ulster Unionist Party

Elected MP

Enoch Powell
Ulster Unionist Party

The South Down by-election of 1986 was part of a co-ordinated series of by-elections aimed to show opposition to the Anglo Irish agreement. It resulted in the narrow victory of the incumbent Ulster Unionist Party, Enoch Powell, who increased his majority by 1,294 votes despite rising support for Irish Nationalist candidates. His opponent Eddie McGrady would later take the seat in the 1987 general election.

Contents

1986 South Down by-election [1]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UUP Enoch Powell 24,963 48.4 +8.1
SDLP Eddie McGrady 23,12144.8+5.5
Sinn Féin Hugh McDowell2,9635.7−2.2
Workers' Party Sean Magee5221.0−0.7
Majority1,8423.6+2.5
Turnout 51,56973.8−3.9
Registered electors 69,843
UUP hold Swing

Previous result

General election 1983: South Down [2]
PartyCandidateVotes%±%
UUP Enoch Powell 20,693 40.3 −9.7
SDLP Eddie McGrady 20,14539.3+2.0
Sinn Féin Patrick Fitzsimmons4,0747.9New
DUP Cecil Harvey 3,7437.3New
Alliance Patrick Forde1,8233.6−5.2
Workers' Party Margaret Magee8511.7New
Majority5481.0−11.8
Turnout 51,32977.7+5.7
Registered electors 66,923
UUP hold Swing

References

  1. "By-election Result". United Kingdom Election Results. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  2. "Election Data 1983". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.