Mark Durkan

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Mark Henry Durkan (born in 1960) is a Roman Catholic nationalist politician in Northern Ireland and the leader of the Social Democratic and Labour Party.

Image:Mdurkan.jpg
Mark Durkan, MP
Deputy First Minister
of Northern Ireland (2001-2002).
Leader of the SDLP (2001-present).

Mark Durkan was born in Derry in 1960. He was educated at St. Patrick's Primary School, and at St. Columb's College.

He studied politics at the Queen's University of Belfast and later did a part-time Bachelor of Arts course in Public Policy Management at the University of Ulster. While at college Durkan served as Deputy President of the Students' Union from 1982-1984.

He became involved in politics in 1981 when he became a member of the Social Democratic and Labour Party. In 1984 he went to work for John Hume as his Westminster Assistant. He became a key figure in organising by-election campaigns for the Seamus Mallon and Eddie McGrady in the 1980s.

In 1990 Durkan became chairperson of the SDLP, a position he served in until 1995. He was a key member of the party's negotiating team in the run up to the Good Friday Agreement.

As a result of the agreement Durkan was elected to the Northern Ireland Assembley in 1998, and became a member of the Northern Ireland Executive as Minister for Finance and Personnel.

He served in that position until 2001 when he replaced Seamus Mallon as Deputy-First Minister. He was also elected leader of the SDLP in that year. Durkan was re-elected to the Assembly in the election of November 2003, however, the Assembly and the Executive remain suspended.

In the 2005 general election he retained the SDLP's control over the Foyle seat at Westminster with an impressive majority.

This was despite a desperate effort by Sinn Féin to take the seat and a belief amongst both the media and Sinn Féin themselves that they would be victorious. The SDLP victory has been interpreted as a humiliation for Sinn Féin given the high profile they gave to winning this seat.

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