Unlike previous elections that produced a large unambiguous majority for the Ulster Unionist Party, this one gave more complex results.

The Nationalist Party that had for a long time represented the bulk of the Catholic minority faced strong challenges and two of its leading figures were defeated.

[1] Both Hume and Cooper would go on to form the Social Democratic and Labour Party which would take over the Nationalist mantle.

Ian Paisley's Protestant Unionist Party that was broadly opposed to O'Neill's agenda on civil rights, put up a number of candidates.

Many of them were opposed by 17 unofficial Unionist candidates supporting O'Neill,[2] often backed by the New Ulster Movement.