Paul Givan nominated by DUP's Edwin Poots as Northern Ireland's new first minister

Lagan Valley Assembly member Paul Givan on June 8 was anunced as rrn Ireland's new first minister. According to Guardian, Edwin Poots, Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader, named Givan as next first minister amid tensions within party. w, 39-year-old on Monday will take over from Arlene Foster, who was ousted as DUP leader in April after an internal revolt, and will become youngest person to lead rrn Ireland. 

On Tuesday, Poots made widely unexpected anuncement in Great Hall at Stormont amid turmoil within DUP that threatens to destabilise power-sharing executive and assembly at Stormont. A number of DUP members have quit over concerns about party’s direction since Poot’s election last month. refore, he also made or ministerial anuncements, including Foyle MLA Gary Middleton as junior minister in Executive Office, Strangford MLA Michelle McIlveen as education minister, replacing Peter Weir and rth Antrim MLA Paul Frew as ecomy minister, replacing Diane Dodds. 

All new ministers will w take ir posts from Monday. time will allow Arlene Foster, ousted as party leader in a putsch in April, to effectively bow out as first minister on Friday at a British-Irish Council meeting held in her home county, Fermanagh. seven-day period is also allowed for approval of a first minister and deputy first minister by power-sharing partners Sinn Féin and DUP.

Following anuncement, Givan said that re was a “huge responsibility” that comes with position. He said that he has a “huge task” when it comes to tackling waiting lists and “we need to get to work”. Givan added that w re should be an “effective transition” that needs to take place next week so that he has a “smooth delivery of governance”. Givan said it was a huge task to follow DUP founder Ian Paisley, and his successors Peter Robinson and Arlene Foster, whom he referred to as "giants".

About Paul Givan 

Givan was one of early names to be tipped for post of first minister in eventuality of Edwin Poots winning DUP leadership contest. He has previously served as a special adviser to Poots, both when he was minister for former Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure and when he was environment minister. Givan’s own assembly career began in 2010 when he was co-opted in Lagan Valley constituency to replace Sir Jeffrey Donaldson, who became an MP.

39-year-old was chairman of Stormont Justice Committee. He became a communities minister in 2016. Givan found himself at centre of a political row in 2016 over his decision to cut funding for an Irish langu scheme. He had endorsed Poots' bid for leadership of DUP.

(Im: Twitter)