Party Favoring Unification Poised to Win Northern Irish Election for First Time

A political party committed to the reunification of Ireland is set to win a historic victory in Northern Irish elections, marking a shift in the U.K. region which traditionally has been dominated by parties loyal to Britain.

Pro-unification party Sinn Féin claimed 29% of votes cast in elections held Thursday, beating a field of other parties including the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party, which secured 21.3%. The exact number of seats won by each party in the 90-member assembly has yet to be decided under a system of proportional representation in which votes can be transferred from weaker candidates.