Unionists affiliated with Northern Ireland’s territory within the United Kingdom have always been in power since the formation of the British Territory in 1921, leaving the rest of the island out of London’s lap.

If Sinn Fin wins on Thursday, the party – once the paramilitary arm of the Irish Republican Army (IRA)’s political show – will lead a government that shares with the Unionists and will hold a referendum on the island’s reunification, the DUP said.

Groaning over Brexit

“It’s a clear choice,” DUP leader Jeffrey Donaldson said Thursday. “On the one hand, the issues that are really important to the people are being dealt with between the DUP and our project, and on the other hand, Sinn Fെയ്in and its partition border ballot,” he confirmed.

Thursday’s election comes after a difficult year for the DUP. In February, the Prime Minister of Northern Ireland, Unionist Paul Givan, resigned due to dissatisfaction with his camp’s post-Brexit customs arrangements, accusing him of threatening Northern Ireland’s position within the United Kingdom.

The DUP has refused to return to the government unless changes are made to the Northern Ireland protocol agreed between the UK and the European Union.