From 1953, Stormont candidates were required to take the British oath of allegiance before standing, precluding Sinn Féin from doing so.Feeney 2002, p. 199 This did not apply at Westminster elections, where Sinn Féin often gave non-Sinn Féin abstentionist nationalists a free run to avoid splitting the nationalist vote, but conversely fielded a spoiler candidate against non-abstentionist nationalists.
