Local elections are scheduled to be held in Northern Ireland on 18 May 2023. Northern Ireland uses the single transferable vote (STV) electoral system to elect members of local councils and members of the Northern Ireland Assembly. This election is being held after the 2022 Northern Ireland Assembly election, where, for the first time, Sinn Féin became the biggest political party in the Assembly. Due to the terms outlined in the Good Friday Agreement, the largest nationalist party and the largest unionist party must be in government together. However, the Executive, Northern Ireland's government, isn't currently sitting. This is because the DUP has refused to enter government due to the Northern Ireland Protocol, an agreement between the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) that governs the unique customs and immigration issues at the border between Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. This market will resolve following the May 18th election when every assembly seat has been called by the BBC.