Green Party leader calls for Stormont reform

Stormont must be reformed to prevent any one party from "from pulling the whole place down", the leader of the NI Green Party has said.

Mal O'Hara addressed his party's annual conference in Belfast.

He said that Citizens' Assemblies should be used to review and reform the institutions.

Citizens' Assemblies have been used in the Republic of Ireland to develop reforms on controversial issues like abortion.

Mr O'Hara said that any reforms must change a system where "the 20% of people who vote for parties that are not premised on the constitutional question" do not get an equal say in decisions.

Northern Ireland has been without a fully functioning devolved government for more than a year after the largest unionist party, the DUP, withdrew in protest at the Northern Ireland Protocol.

Mr O'Hara, who became party leader in August, told delegates that they must do more to connect environmental concerns with people's everyday lives.

He used the example of how the recent spike in fossil fuel prices like gas should be used to make the case for community-owned renewable energy.

The Greens lost both their Stormont seats at the last Assembly election in 2022.

Mr O'Hara said it was "a bitter blow" but the party should use May's council's elections to mount a comeback against "greed, self interest, boycott and stagnation".