The 40-year-old succeeds Martin McGuinness, who lately resigned from his 10-year reign as leader of the party in Northern Ireland in protest over the Democratic Unionist Party’s handling of the cash for ash scandal. McGuinness subsequently confirmed he would not be seeking re-election due to serious health issues.

O’Neill, Northern Ireland’s former agriculture minister and outgoing health minister, said it gives her “immense pride” to be able to say that she will be leading the party in the future.

“To follow in the footsteps of Martin McGuinness, who is a political giant, is no mean feat but a challenge that I’m certainly up for,” she said soon after her appointment.

The Co Tyrone mother of two also said that as an all-island party she said she would be working very closely with her counterparts in Leinster House in the south.

Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development

Following the 2011 Assembly election, O’Neill was appointed as Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development. In this role O’Neill negotiated a new common agricultural policy programme securing a large rural development programme to support farmers and those living in rural areas. She also strengthened all-Ireland agricultural links and delivered a rural needs bill to protect needs of rural dwellers.

Her appointment as the new leader of Sinn Féin comes just weeks before a snap Assembly election, which was triggered by the fall of the Sinn Féin-DUP coalition in Belfast.

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