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Difficulty: MediumThe Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive

The Northern Ireland Assembly, which meets at Stormont in Belfast, is composed of 90 Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs). To ensure the fair representation of different parts of the community, what specific requirement must be met for certain major decisions to be passed?

  1. There must be cross-community support for the decisionAnswer
  2. B
    A simple majority of votes from the largest single political party is sufficient
  3. C
    The Assembly has the authority to make independent laws regarding national defense
  4. D
    All legislation must be identical to the laws passed by the Scottish Parliament

Answer

For certain major decisions to be passed in the Northern Ireland Assembly, there must be cross-community support to ensure representation from different parts of the community.
The correct answer is that there must be cross-community support. This is a fundamental feature of the Northern Ireland Assembly, designed to ensure that the Executive represents the whole community through a power-sharing arrangement.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the structure of the Northern Ireland Assembly.
It is located at Stormont and consists of 90 MLAs.
This establishes the context for how the devolved government in Northern Ireland functions.
2
Recall the unique governance model of Northern Ireland.
The Executive and Assembly operate on a power-sharing basis.
Power-sharing is essential in Northern Ireland to ensure that both unionist and nationalist traditions are represented.
3
Determine the requirement for passing key legislation.
Major decisions require cross-community support.
This specific requirement ensures that laws have the backing of members from different backgrounds, maintaining political stability.

Key Concept

Cross-community support in the Northern Ireland Assembly
Estimated Time:45s
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Topics

The Northern Ireland Assembly and Executive