1986 Belfast East by-election

UK Parliamentary by-election

← 1983

23 January 1986

1987 →

Constituency of Belfast East

Turnout

61.7% (

8.3%)

	First party	Second party
		APNI
Candidate	Peter Robinson	Oliver Napier
Party	DUP	Alliance
Popular vote	27,607	5,917
Percentage	81.0%	17.4%
Swing	35.7%	6.7%

MP before election

Peter Robinson
DUP

Subsequent MP

Peter Robinson
DUP

The 1986 Belfast East by-election was one of the fifteen 1986 Northern Ireland by-elections held on 23 January 1986, to fill vacancies in the Parliament of the United Kingdom caused by the resignation in December 1985 of all sitting Unionist Members of Parliament (MPs). The MPs, from the Ulster Unionist Party, Democratic Unionist Party and Ulster Popular Unionist Party, did this to highlight their opposition to the Anglo-Irish Agreement. Each of their parties agreed not to contest seats previously held by the others, and each outgoing MP stood for re-election.

1986 Belfast East by-election^[1]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	DUP	Peter Robinson	27,607	81.0	+35.7
	Alliance	Oliver Napier	5,917	17.4	-6.7
	Workers' Party	Frances Joseph Cullen	578	1.7	+0.6
Majority			21,690	63.6	+43.1
Turnout			34,102	61.7	-8.3
Registered electors			55,256
	DUP hold		Swing

References

^ Results of Byelections in the 1983-87 Parliament in the United Kingdom Election Results website maintained by David Boothroyd

External links

A Vision Of Britain Through Time (Constituency elector numbers)

Other References

British Parliamentary By Elections: Campaign literature from the by-elections
CAIN: Westminster By-Elections (NI) - Thursday 23 January 1986
Northern Ireland Elections: Westminster by-elections 1986

By-elections in Northern Ireland to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom

1920s

June 1921: Mid Armagh
Belfast Duncairn
North Down
July 1921: Mid Down
West Down
August 1921: South Londonderry
January 1922: South Londonderry
February 1922: West Down
North Down
June 1922: North Londonderry
July 1922: North Down
January 1929: Londonderry

1930s

March 1931: Fermanagh and Tyrone
June 1934: Fermanagh and Tyrone
May 1939: Down

1920s

February 1940: Belfast East
November 1940: Queen's University of Belfast
February 1943: Belfast West
Antrim
June 1946: Down
March 1948: Armagh

1950s

November 1950: Belfast West
May 1951: Londonderry
October 1952: North Antrim
November 1952: Belfast South
April 1953: North Down
November 1954: Armagh
August 1955: Mid Ulster
May 1956: Mid Ulster
March 1959: Belfast East

1960s

October 1963: Belfast South
April 1969: Mid Ulster

1970s

None

1980s

1990s

May 1990: Upper Bann
June 1995: North Down

2000s

September 2000: South Antrim

2010s

June 2011: Belfast West
March 2013: Mid Ulster
May 2018: West Tyrone

2020s

None to date

Lists of UK by-elections: 1801–1806; 1806–1818; 1818–1832; 1832–1847; 1847–1857; 1857–1868; 1868–1885; 1885–1900; 1900–1918; 1918–1931; 1931–1950; 1950–1979; 1979–2010; 2010–present; Northern Ireland; Hereditary peers

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1983	July: Penrith and the Border
1984	March: Chesterfield May: Cynon Valley South West Surrey Stafford June: Portsmouth South December: Enfield Southgate
1985	July: Brecon and Radnor December: Tyne Bridge
1986	January: Belfast East Belfast North Belfast South East Antrim East Londonderry Fermanagh & South Tyrone Lagan Valley Mid Ulster Newry & Armagh North Antrim North Down South Antrim South Down Strangford Upper Bann April: Fulham May: Ryedale West Derbyshire July: Newcastle-under-Lyme November: Knowsley North
1987	February: Greenwich March: Truro
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