Simon Lee of the Green Party eliminated in Upper Bann

The count at Upper Bann is set to close for the night and counting is expected to resume in on Saturday morning.

Mr Lee finished with a total vote of 555 at the end of a night which only saw two MLAs elected in the area.

Earlier the DUP’s Carla Lockhart topped the poll while her party colleague Sydney Anderson was reelected on the second count.

Sinn Fein’s Catherine Seeley and John O’Dowd have polled well while Dolores Kelly is on tenderhooks with a smaller vote than in previous elections.

There is speculation that a split vote within Unionism may see the Ulster Unionists Jo-Anne Dobson and Doug Beattie vying for an MLA position.