The first elections to the Northern Ireland Assembly were held on June 25, 1998.

The result was (first preference votes only) -

Party	Votes	Vote %	Seats
Social Democratic and Labour Party	177,963	21.99	24
Ulster Unionist Party	172,225	21.28	28
Democratic Unionist Party	145,917	18.03	20
Sinn Féin	142,858	17.65	18
Alliance Party of Northern Ireland	52,636	6.50	6
UK Unionist Party	36,541	4.52	5
Independent Unionists	24,339	3.00	3
Progressive Unionist Party	20,634	2.55	2
Northern Ireland Women's Coalition	13,019	1.61	2

See also: Northern Ireland Assembly Election, 2003