The SDLP's Ms Patricia Lewsley made a double breakthrough in Lagan Valley: she became the first nationalist, and the first woman, to be elected in this Ulster Unionist stronghold.
She took the sixth seat at the expense of the UDP leader, Mr Gary McMichael, whose party is associated with the UDA, the largest loyalist paramilitary group in the North. This left the UDP with no representative in the Assembly, causing worry within the RUC about the UDA's possible response after what Mr McMichael said was their "unanchoring" from the next stage of the peace process. But he insisted his party remained committed to the peace process, although he conceded it was harder to exert influence "if you don't have political leverage".
Mr McMichael knew his fate several hours before the final count and was gracious in defeat. The 28-year-old party leader shook hands with the winners and hugged Ms Lewsley who had just 314 more first-preference votes but whose lead increased to over 1,312 votes by the ninth and final count.
Lagan Valley's Assembly members include the poll-topper, Mr Seamus Close. The deputy leader of the Alliance Party was elected on the first count.
Lagan Valley traditionally has a large Ulster Unionist majority in Westminster general elections. Mr Jeffrey Donaldson, the anti-agreement MP for the area who was not allowed stand in the election, had a 15,000 majority in last year's general election. But bitter division in the party over the Belfast Agreement meant a collapse in the UUP vote, and it won just two seats rather than the expected three, and hoped for four, seats. The DUP and the UKUP each took one seat.
In neighbouring South Down, the election outcome was much more predictable. The largely nationalist constituency elected three SDLP candidates, including the poll-topper and local MP, Mr Eddie McGrady.
Mr Mick Murphy took the Sinn Fein seat. The Ulster Unionists gained one seat for Mr Dermot Nesbitt, a talks negotiator who said it was time to look forward positively and not to look too much at the rifts.
The DUP winner, Mr Jim Wells, will be a boon for the anti-agreement side. He was a master of filibustering on Lisburn Council after the 1985 Anglo-Irish Agreement when the unionist parties withdrew co-operation with the Northern Ireland Office.
