Democratic Unionist Party

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) (Northern Ireland) Formed in 1971 by Ian Paisley and Desmond Boal, the party is committed to Northern Ireland remaining part of the UK. The party stood firmly against Protestants sharing power with the Catholic minority in the 1970s, and is opposed to British membership of the European Community (European integration). A more radical proponent of Protestant interests than the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP), it has consistently opposed talking to ministers from the Irish Republic, and it rejected the Downing Street Declaration of 1993. From the 1970s to the 1990s the DUP tended to win three seats in Westminster elections, with about 20 per cent of the Northern Ireland vote in British general elections. However, its popularity was boosted after its rejection of the Good Friday Agreements, as the DUP capitalized on Protestant fears of compromise. In the 2001 elections for the British Parliament, it won five seats, and in the Northern Ireland elections of 2003 it eclipsed the UUP, becoming the strongest party with 30 seats. As the largest Protestant party, it now had the power to render the Northern Ireland Agreements inoperable by refusing to deal with the largest Catholic party, Sinn Féin.

http://www.dup.org.uk