{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-date-of-next-assembly-poll-order-2001/note",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-date-of-next-assembly-poll-order-2001/note.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/2001/3959",
  "legislation_title": "The Northern Ireland (Date of Next Assembly Poll) Order 2001",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/northern-ireland-date-of-next-assembly-poll-order-2001",
  "path": "note",
  "kind": "note",
  "number": null,
  "heading": "Explanatory note",
  "text": "(This note is not part of the Order)\nUnder section 32(3) of the Northern Ireland Act 1998 the Secretary of State must propose a date for the next Assembly election if the period of six weeks specified in section 16(8) ends without a First and Deputy First Minister having been elected. The relevant period ended on 3rd November 2001 without a successful election.\nBut as a First and Deputy First Minister were elected on 6th November the Secretary of State, having consulted the parties in the Assembly, concluded that it would be in the best interests of Northern Ireland for the next Assembly election to be held on 1st May 2003, the date specified in section 31 of the Act. This Order accordingly directs that the election should be on that date and provides for the Assembly to be dissolved on 21st March 2003.",
  "extent": null,
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2001/3959/note",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T07:19:11.432608+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}