Sinn Fein Surges as Rival Parties Face Political Paralysis in Northern Ireland

Sinn Fein is now the largest party in Northern Ireland after local elections.
The Democratic Unionists are stalled and view their mediocre result as vindication for refusing to enter a power-sharing government.
The combination of a surging Sinn Fein and a stalled Democratic Unionist Party gives neither side much incentive to compromise in restoring Northern Ireland's assembly.
Sinn Fein's gains may harden the sectarian divide that has long complicated its fragile government.
The chronic political dysfunction casts a long shadow over the Good Friday Agreement, and the government has been paralyzed for 15 months.