Sinn Fein, the political wing of the Irish Republican Army, has won its first-ever seat in the European parliament with the election of Mary Lou MacDonald in Ireland, Sky News reported. Sinn Fein was the big gainer in Ireland’s elections to the European Parliament, nearly doubling its vote to 11.9 percent, according to partial results, compared to 6.3 percent in 1999. In Northern Ireland, where results had yet to be announced, Sinn Fein’s Bairbre de Brun was a top contender for an MEP seat. Clinching the MEP posts is seen by many Irish republicans as a means to bring Sinn Fein international clout, after its long and often troubled ties to the Irish Republican Army (IRA), Northern Ireland’s largest Roman Catholic paramilitary group. Sinn Fein is the most popular Catholic party in Northern Ireland, winning the lion’s share of the Catholic vote in the province’s legislative election in November 2003. Full Story
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