What We Know About the DUP's Bid to Remove O'Neill as First Minister

Carla Lockhart, a Democratic Unionist Party MP for Upper Bann, said on Oct. 11 that it is "within its gift" for the DUP to remove Michelle O'Neill as Northern Ireland's first minister over her role in protests against the Drumcree parade, according to the BBC.

Lockhart spoke outside Drumcree Church on Saturday, two days after the Northern Ireland secretary of state banned the Portadown District Lodge from marching down the Garvaghy Road, the BBC reported.

How could the DUP remove O'Neill?

The power-sharing arrangement at Stormont ties the first minister and deputy first minister positions together, and the BBC reported the roles cannot be held separately. That means the DUP could force O'Neill from office only if its own deputy first minister, Emma Little-Pengelly, resigns first — a step the BBC described as unlikely. DUP leader Gavin Robinson said Lockhart "is right that the options are there," without committing to a specific move, according to the BBC.

What is the Garvaghy Road dispute?

The Portadown District Lodge of the Orange Order has sought to march its traditional Drumcree route along the mainly nationalist Garvaghy Road, the BBC reported. The secretary of state's decision to ban that march, announced Friday, was welcomed by nationalist politicians and criticized by unionists, according to the BBC. O'Neill and other Sinn Féin politicians have confirmed receiving letters from the Police Service of Northern Ireland as part of an investigation into protests tied to the dispute, the BBC reported.

What has O'Neill said about her involvement?

O'Neill has defended joining the protests, telling the assembly she was "proud" to stand with the Garvaghy Road community and "will continue to stand with them," the BBC reported. She has previously rejected a DUP call for her resignation over her participation.

"The most palpable anger is at Michelle O'Neill, this self-proclaimed 'first minister for all,' for breaking the law flagrantly on the Garvaghy Road, and thumbing her nose at unionism and at the Orange Order and at this community," Lockhart said, per the BBC.

Lockhart also said her constituents are angry at the chief constable for "allowing lawlessness to win" and at the secretary of state over the ban, the BBC reported. Robinson separately called on the chief constable to explain what threat he perceived in policing the protests, according to the BBC.

What happens next at Stormont?

• Whether Little-Pengelly, the deputy first minister, takes any step that would alter the first minister's office
• Whether the PSNI investigation into Drumcree-related protests leads to charges against O'Neill or other Sinn Féin figures
• How Robinson defines the "consequence" Lockhart says her party wants to impose
• Whether the DUP and Sinn Féin continue routine power-sharing business at Stormont despite the dispute

Glossary

• First minister / deputy first minister: Joint roles atop the Northern Ireland Executive, filled by the largest unionist and nationalist parties; the BBC's reporting indicates one role cannot be held without the other.
• Garvaghy Road: A mainly nationalist road in Portadown that the Orange Order's Portadown District Lodge has sought to march along during its Drumcree parade, per the BBC.
• PSNI: The Police Service of Northern Ireland, which the BBC reported is investigating protests connected to the Drumcree dispute.

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