BELFAST: Northern Irish voters continue to oppose uniting the two sides of the island, a poll shows.
Some 44% of Northern Irish voters are against unification and 35% are in favour, according to a survey for the Irish Independent, which polled 2,250 people across the island. While a majority in the south back the unification, both sides need to agree.
In May 1921, the island of Ireland was split in two — giving rise to Northern Ireland as part of the United Kingdom, and to what would become the independent Republic of Ireland.
Only the UK’s Secretary of State for Northern Ireland can call a vote on Irish reunification — referred to as a “border poll” — and then only if it appears likely a majority would back it.