Upper Bann by-election, 1990

The 1990 by-election in Upper Bann was caused by the death of the sitting Ulster Unionist Party Member of Parliament Harold McCusker on February 2 1990.

The by-election was especially notable for three reasons. Firstly, eleven candidates stood in the by-election, which to date is the record for a parliamentary election in Northern Ireland. Secondly, amongst the eleven were candidates for the Conservative Party and the Social Democratic Party (SDP), both contesting parliamentary elections in Northern Ireland for the first time since the "Equal Citizenship" campaign had sought to get the major UK parties to organise in the province. Finally the successful Ulster Unionist candidate was David Trimble, who five years later would become the leader of the party.

The SDP candidate took only 154 votes, and finished in eleventh and last place - the worst performance in a by-election by any party with MPs sitting in the House of Commons since the English National Party during 1976.

Results

Election box begin
title=By-election 1990: Upper BannElection box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = David Trimble
votes = 20,547
percentage = 58.0
change = -3.5Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Brid Rodgers
votes = 6,698
percentage = 18.9
change = -1.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Sheena Campbell
votes = 2,033
percentage = 5.7
change = -1.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Independence Movement
candidate = Hugh Ross
votes = 1,534
percentage = 4.3
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Workers Party (Ireland)
candidate = Tom French
votes = 1,083
percentage = 3.1
change = -1.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Conservatives in Northern Ireland
candidate = Colette Jones
votes = 1,038
percentage = 3.0
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = William Ramsay
votes = 948
percentage = 2.7
change = -3.2Election box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Democratic Party
candidate = Gary McMichael
votes = 600
percentage = 1.7
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Green Party (UK)
candidate = Peter Doran
votes = 576
percentage = 1.6
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Independent Labour
candidate = Erskine Holmes
votes = 235
percentage = 0.6
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic Party (UK, 1988)
candidate = Alistair Dunn
votes = 154
percentage = 0.4
change = "N/A"Election box majority
votes = 13,849
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 53.4
change =

General Election result, 1987

Election box begin
title=General Election 1987: Upper BannElection box candidate with party link
party = Ulster Unionist Party
candidate = Harold McCusker
votes = 25,137
percentage = 61.5
change = 4.6Election box candidate with party link
party = Social Democratic and Labour Party
candidate = Brid Rodgers
votes = 8,676
percentage = 20.5
change = 3.7Election box candidate with party link
party = Sinn Féin
candidate = Brendan Curran
votes = 3,126
percentage = 7.4
change = -2.0Election box candidate with party link
party = Alliance Party of Northern Ireland
candidate = Fionnuala Cook
votes = 2,487
percentage = 5.9
change = "N/A"Election box candidate with party link
party = Workers Party (Ireland)
candidate = Tom French
votes = 2,004
percentage = 4.7
change = -0.8Election box majority
votes = 16,461
percentage =
change = Election box turnout
votes =
percentage = 66.0
change = -6.0