Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, becomes the First Minister of Northern Ireland

Ms. Arlene Foster, leader of the Democratic Unionist Party, becomes the First Minister of Northern Ireland. This new appointment followed the decision by her predecessor, Mr. Peter Robinson, to step down as First Minister on November 2015. Ms. Foster has been Member of the Northern Ireland Assembly for Fermanagh and South Tyrone since 2003, and served as Minister of the Environment during the period 2007-2008, Minister for Enterprise and Investment (2008-2015), and Minister for Finance and Personnel (2015-2016). In her first declarations as First Minister, Ms. Foster said “Three minutes cannot do justice to the career of the person who has been the most astute unionist political leader of this, or for that matter, any era in Northern Ireland’s history. But when the history of this time comes to be written, his leadership will define this period. In his time he has helped redraw the unionist political map and ensured a better future for Northern Ireland in the most challenging of circumstances”. Read more about this news here.