The Alliance Party has selected Councillor Michelle Guy to replace Sorcha Eastwood as their Lagan Valley MLA.
Sorcha Eastwood was elected to Westminster in the general election last week.
Assembly rules mean that parties can co-opt a replacement if one of their MLAs leaves to take on another role, or resigns, without the need for a by-election.
The Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) have selected Councillor Colin Crawford to replace Robin Swann in North Antrim.
TUV leader Jim Allister and Independent Alex Easton still need to select replacements as they were also elected to Parliament.
“I am absolutely delighted to have been selected by Alliance members in Lagan Valley as the new MLA for the area. It is truly an immense honour to represent the constituency where I live in this role,” she said.
– Michelle Guy MLA
“I look forward to getting straight down to work. Sorcha Eastwood leaves huge shoes to fill with her history-making election but I will continue to work closely with her as the new MP, as well as my constituency colleague David Honeyford MLA. I look forward to building on their work and mine as Councillor to serve the people of Lagan Valley on the issues that matter to them.
“As a team, we will continue to advocate for positive change in Northern Ireland and its institutions. The people of Northern Ireland deserve to have a functioning government, and Alliance believes that reforming our institutions is the right way forward. No single party should have the power to bring down our Assembly and Executive.
“Lagan Valley is an increasingly diverse constituency as symbolic of the new Northern Ireland. Alliance continues to grow here, as the positive and progressive voice people know they can trust, and that has been evidenced across several elections now.”
Leader of Alliance, Naomi Long MLA, said she was delighted that Michelle was joining the team.
Guy served as a councillor on Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council since 2019, and was deputy mayor in 2022.
