Two Decades After St Andrews Deal, Ian Paisley Embraces Northern Ireland Power-Sharing
Marking the 20th anniversary of the St Andrews Agreement, Ian Paisley has formally endorsed the power-sharing arrangement that has defined Northern Irish politics.
The St Andrews Agreement, signed on 13 October 2006, amended the Good Friday Agreement and reshaped the political landscape of Northern Ireland. It brought the DUP, led by Ian Paisley, into the peace process and secured Sinn Féin’s cooperation with the PSNI. Since then, the DUP and Sinn Féin have dominated Stormont. In a recent commentary, Ciarán Dunbar and David McCann note that Paisley’s latest endorsement underscores the lasting impact of that pact.
Why it matters
The anniversary shows how a historic pact still underpins Northern Ireland's fragile political stability.
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