THE defeat of Ian McCrea in Mid Ulster is likely to bring the curtain down on a political dynasty that has spanned more than four decades.
A son of former Mid Ulster MP and MLA, Rev William McCrea, he lost his seat to party colleague Keith Buchanan after a dramatic night at the Mid Ulster count.
The challenger was elected by just 161 votes to spare on the tenth count in a race for the last seat that went down to the wire in Ballymena.
Mr Buchanan and outgoing MLA Ian McCrea had been slugging it out for just one seat in the mainly nationalist constituency after a fall-out within the party.
Mr Buchanan had received the backing of several senior figures in Mid-Ulster after his strong showing in the 2014 council elections.
There were early signs that Mr Buchanan would pose a serious threat after he polled 3,628 first preference votes, just 137 behind Mr McCrea.
Mr McCrea appeared shell shocked as he left the Ballymena count centre on Friday night with his father before the final declaration was made.
"I would like to thank those people who came out to support me in the election," he said.
"I am disappointed, the reality is I served the people with honour.
"I stood before before the people and the people have given their answer."
His challenger Keith Buchanan was delighted after the risky strategy of taking on the McCrea power base paid off.
"It's simply down to the people of Mid Ulster, they had a choice and they made that choice.
The UUP's Sandra Overend was elected on the ninth count after racking up 4,862 first preferences.
“We have been working hard on the ground and have been out across the constituency. It’s been really good to get out and chat to people and hear what their issues are," she said.
"I believe in the Ulster Unionist vision for Northern Ireland and I am passionate where I want to see Northern Ireland go."
Meanwhile, all the nationalist candidates in the race polled well and were elected on the first count.
Veteran republican Ian Milne topped the poll with 7,035 votes while former agriculture minister Michelle O'Neill secured 6,147.
Newcomer Linda Dillon, who is the current chair of Mid Ulster District Council, was elected with 5,833.
She replaced Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness who gave up his seat in the area to successfully stand in his native Foyle constituency.
The SDLP's Patsy McGlone said he was happy with his showing after he polled 6,209 first preference votes.
"I am absolutely delighted to be elected on the first count and my share has gone up," he said.
Mr McGlone said he was looking forward to getting back to the assembly and "equally important for me, back to the constituency and dealing with the issues that are important to people."
Elected: Ian Milne (SF), Michelle O'Neill (SF), Linda Dillon (SF), Patsy McGlone (SDLP), Sandra Overend (UUP), Keith Buchanan (DUP).
