biography
| sex:
| male
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| lived:
| (1944– )
|
| biography:
| Northern Ireland politician, born in Bangor, NE Northern Ireland. He studied at Queens University, Belfast, was called to the bar, then became a lecturer at Belfast. He was elected MP for Upper Bann in 1990, and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party in 1995. He came to prominence for his role in the peace negotiations of the mid-1990s, and shared the 1998 Nobel Peace Prize with John Hume for his efforts. He became first minister of the new Northern Ireland Assembly in 1998, and retained this position when devolution became a reality in December 1999. He narrowly defeated a challenge to his leadership of the Ulster Unionists in 2000, coming mainly from Unionists unsure of or opposing the Good Friday Agreement. He has broken with Unionist tradition by meeting leaders of Sinn Féin while maintaining criticism of their links with the IRA. He has also attempted to remove the Orange Order's block vote within the Unionist party. He resigned in July 2001 following a lack of progress on the issue of arms decommissioning by the IRA, however he was re-elected first minister in Nov 2001. |
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