Ulster Unionists are claiming there was only a five vote gap between their candidate and the Alliance candidate who finished runner-up, but in fact at the time of the elimination of the second Ulster Unionist candidate the gap was over 70 votes.
Kieran McCarthy stated: “Firstly, Unionists have caused an expensive by-election by refusing simply to co-opt the runner-up in an election tainted by fraud who would have been elected without that fraud. In any competition, if there is cheating the runner-up receives the prize. Why is this any different?
“Secondly, we now have Unionists misleading the public by suggesting there were only five votes in it. At the time the relevant Ulster Unionist candidate was eliminated, there were in fact 73 votes in it. It is indisputable that the prime, indeed only, victim of this fraud was the Alliance Party candidate, and that he should now be installed in the
seat.
“The whole nature of proportional representation is that the broad will of the people is taken into consideration. That indisputably included the desire for an Alliance Party Councillor. Not for the first time, we see Unionists engaged in a denial of democracy for their own gain. Have they learned nothing from the past?”
ENDS