Sinn Fein’s Mairtin O’Muilleoir elected new Lord Mayor of Belfast

SINN FEIN Councillor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir (Martin Miller) has been elected new Lord Mayor of Belfast on Tuesday night.

At the council’s annual general meeting in Belfast City Hall, DUP Alderman Christopher Stalford has been elected Deputy Lord Mayor.

Following his appointment, the new Lord Mayor said: “I’m very privileged to be the new Lord Mayor of the great city of Belfast.

“I am picking up from Gavin Robinson of the DUP, who has had a great year in office. I am very grateful to the Sinn Féin party for nominating me for this high office this year.

“In the year ahead, I want the help of all our citizens to make Belfast better. First and foremost, that means building the peace and working hard to bring our sometimes divided people together.

“It also means striving to create jobs and doing all I can to help put the city`s economy back on track. And of course in all our work we have to ensure that our working class communities enjoy a greater share of the peace dividend.”

In Derry, the SDLP’s Martin Reilly was elected as Mayor for the next year for the city.

And the DUP’s 22-year-old Gary Middleton was elected deputy mayor, the youngest ever to hold the office.