The message coming from the three returning Sinn Féin MLAs following last week’s Assembly elections is they are ready to get back to work.

Jemma Dolan, Colm Gildernew and Áine Murphy all reached the required number of votes in Fermanagh and South Tyrone to get elected as their party became the largest in the North.

Miss Dolan could not hide her delight at topping the poll, and speaking to The Impartial Reporter, she said the results “send out a message”.

She continued: “I think it sends out a message that people agree with what our message was over the election – that people want real change and they realise we are the party that is going to deliver it.”

When asked what is the next step, Miss Dolan said: “It entails going back to Stormont, and I can’t wait, and it does require the other parties to work along with us.

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‘Respect the mandate’

“We are encouraging them all to respect the mandate that Sinn Féin has been given across the North and to work with us, and help deliver real change for people who are struggling to heat their homes, feed their families and [for] the health service, which is a massive issue too. That is what we are asking other parties to do.”

While the issue of a Border poll has been raised again, as Sinn Féin focused on the day-to-day issues for the North, Miss Dolan said the party remain hopeful it could happen in the next decade.

“The priorities are to help people with the issues that are affecting them, day-to-day; bread and butter issues. I think the electorate has sent a message that they want change. We have had the failure of the past and we need change. We want people to have faith in Stormont.”

In his acceptance speech, Mr. Gildernew said politicians need to take into account the engagement of the public. “People are depending on us. They are engaged, they are involved in politics, and they have sent a very clear message to us that they want to see progress.

“They want to see hope, they want to see their futures made better, and that is our job to deliver that for them. And I would just appeal to everyone who has taken part in this election today, including all my running mates here today, and the other successful candidates – and all of those candidates who put themselves forward, but haven’t been successful – and everyone out there in the public, [for everyone] our job now as of Monday morning is to sit down together.

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“I am not simply asking people to embrace the future, I am saying: let us sit down and create a future we can all embrace.”

The final Sinn Féin MLA to be elected, Miss Murphy, was to the point but very much echoed the sentiments of her party colleagues when she spoke on Saturday evening.

In a brief acceptance speech, she said: “We have a lot of work to do, and Sinn Féin will be back up in Stormont on Monday morning to deliver for the people. That is what we are elected to do.”