Diane Forsythe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Diane Forsythe
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Forsythe in 2024
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| Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for South Down |
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| Assumed office 7 May 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Jim Wells |
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| Nationality | British |
| Political party | Democratic Unionist Party |
| Occupation | Politician |
Diane Forsythe is a politician from the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP). She serves as a Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly (MLA) for the area of South Down. She has held this role since 2022.
An MLA is like a local representative. They work in the Northern Ireland Assembly to make decisions for their community. Diane Forsythe is the first woman from a unionist party to represent South Down as an MLA. She is also the DUP's spokesperson for important areas like Communities, Childcare, and Early Years. This means she helps make policies for families and young children.
Her Journey in Politics
Diane Forsythe has been involved in politics for several years. She first tried to become a Member of Parliament (MP) for the South Down area in the 2017 UK general election. An MP represents their area in the main UK Parliament in London.
She did not win that election. She finished in third place. She received 8,867 votes, which was about 17.4% of all the votes.
Becoming an MLA
In April 2022, before the 2022 Assembly election, Diane Forsythe was chosen as the DUP candidate for South Down. On 5 May 2022, she was successfully elected as the new MLA for the South Down Constituency.
She received 6,497 first-choice votes. After several rounds of counting, she was elected with a total of 11,073 votes. This was a historic moment because she became the first female unionist MLA for that area.
Diane Forsythe also ran as the DUP candidate for South Down in the 2024 general election. She came in third place, receiving 7,349 votes. This was 16.2% of the total votes.
