MARY Lou McDonald has been accused of playing a "divisive game" by signing off her acceptance speech with a cry of "Up the rebels, tiocfaidh ár lá".
Former Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt said the new Sinn Féin president's talk of fresh thinking and bold ideas rang hollow due to her "stale rhetoric" at the speech's conclusion.
"Mary Lou may be proud to have been raised on songs and stories in her native Dublin, but we could all play that divisive game," the Strangford MLA said.
"What is needed is a recognition of our diverse make-up, and an acceptance of the legitimacy of the existence of loyalists, unionists, nationalists, republicans and others to their stake in Northern Ireland."
