Frequently Asked Questions — Belfast East Constituency

Who won the Belfast East constituency election in 2005?

Liberal Democrats gained Belfast East constituency at the 5 May 2005 General Election, taking the seat from Democratic Unionist Party. Liberal Democrats won with a majority of 5,877 votes (19.1%). Turnout was 58.0%.

What was the swing in Belfast East at the 2005 election?

The swing in Belfast East was 47.9% from DUP to LD — a modest shift towards LD. Swing is calculated using the Butler two-party formula: the average of the change in winner's vote share and the fall in the runner-up's vote share compared to the previous election here.

What does swing mean in UK elections?

Swing measures how much support has shifted between two parties compared to a previous election. The Butler swing formula — used in British election reporting since the 1950s — takes the average of the gain in the winner's vote share and the loss in the runner-up's. A 5% swing is considered large at ward level; anything above 10% is exceptional. The swing figure for Belfast East in 2005 is shown in the statistics above.