Moderator vote ends in tie

Dr Ivan McKay's year of office ends in June

The election for moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland has ended in a tie for the second year in a row.

The 21 presbyteries which comprise the church's General Assembly met on Tuesday evening to vote for a successor to Moderator Dr Ivan McKay.

But Dr Harry Uprichard, minister of Trinity, Ahoghill, and Reverend Ken Newell of the Fitzroy congregation, Belfast, each got 10 nominations.

The presbyteries will vote on the two names at their next meeting on 2 March.

Dr McKay's year of office ends in June.

Presbyteries are the governing bodies responsible for groups of about 25 congregations in different areas.

Each one has a membership composed of all the ministers and a representative elder from every congregation in its area.

The members of each presbytery vote among themselves to decide who their presbytery will nominate.