Belfast: Sinn Fein, the former political wing of the IRA, looks set to claim top spot in elections in the British province of Northern Ireland for the first time this weekend (AEST), a historic shift that could bring the once-remote prospect of a united Ireland closer.

Sinn Fein secured 29 per cent of the first-preference vote compared with 21.3 per cent by the pro-British Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), indicating it was likely to become the first Irish nationalist party to win the most seats in the regional assembly since the province’s creation in 1921.

“Sinn Fein on course to hold the first minister job is an earthquake” for Northern Ireland politics, said Bill White, chief executive of polling company LucidTalk. “This is seismic.”

A Sinn Fein victory would not change the province’s status, as the referendum required to leave the United Kingdom is at the discretion of the British government and likely years away.

But the psychological implications of an Irish nationalist first minister would be huge after a century of domination by unionist parties, supported predominantly by the province’s Protestant population.

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Demographic trends have long indicated that they would eventually be eclipsed by predominantly Catholic Irish nationalist parties who favour uniting the north with the Republic of Ireland.

Once shunned by the political establishment on both sides of the border for its links to paramilitary violence, Sinn Fein is already the most popular party in the Republic of Ireland, where it has carved out a successful base three years out from national elections by campaigning on everyday issues such as the cost of living and healthcare.

It followed a similar path in the Northern Ireland elections, where it focused on economic concerns rather than Irish unity to appeal to middle-ground voters.