THE Titanic Exhibition Centre has staged plenty of big fights, but the political scrap between party leaders Gavin Robinson (DUP) and Naomi Long (Alliance) in East Belfast was expected to be the most closely fought in years.
Having already won and lost East Belfast in previous elections, Mrs Long narrowed the margin to 1,819 votes in the so-called Brexit election of 2019 behind Mr Robinson.
While other parties stepped aside in 2019, this time around many had wondered if the return of a TUV candidate (John Ross) and others could be the stepping stone Alliance needed to retake the seat.
With an expected declaration time of 3am, all both candidates could do to ease their nerves was listen to the quiet hum of vote counters.
Earlier, Mrs Long and her husband Michael cast their vote at St Colmcille’s parochial hall in east Belfast alongside their dog Daisy.
Asked if she felt confident, Ms Long told reporters: “I’m feeling relaxed, we’ll see. Confidence is never a good thing, I’m just relaxed.”
The couple had to shelter for several minutes inside the polling station before leaving due to the intensity of a sudden downpour outside.
Mr Robinson and his wife Lindsay then cast their ballots at Elim church in Dundonald.
Waving to media as he arrived, he said: “Fresh and well you’re looking,” before giving the thumbs up to photographers.
During a leaders’ debate last month, Mr Robinson and Mrs Long had clashed over the DUP’s Stormont boycott.
The DUP leader insisted it was justified, and that reducing the red tape on Irish sea trade would “not have been made without our stance”.
Mrs Long countered that the DUP’s stance had no substantial impact on the Windsor Framework agreement to cut trading bureaucracy.
“And more than that, the collapse of the Assembly has damaged our public services, there’s no question that’s the case, ask the people who work in them.”
