Alliance won a Council by-election

7.06.00pm GMT Thu 14th Dec 2006

The Alliance Party of Northern Ireland have won the Skerries by-election in Coleraine. The Alliance Party are one of the Liberal Democrat sister parties, and a number of its key players have been very involved in the Liberal Democrats too.

The seat was a DUP seat but the Councillor was jailed for electoral offences. The seat was last fought in 2005 - the DUPs won two seats, the UUP one and a Independent won the last seat.

The Alliance won on the second transfer - all Northern Irish local elections are contested under the Single Transferable Vote (or AV in the case of a by-election). The Alliance gained 28% of the first preferences and led from the first round picking up the vast majority of second (or later) preferences.