The senior Protestant politician in Northern Ireland left the door open Sunday for stepping aside as part of a potential deal to revive the British territory's unity government with Catholics.

The main Irish Catholic party is demanding an early election.

For the first time in Irish electoral history, the combined popular vote Friday for Ireland's two political heavyweights—the Fianna Fail and Fine Gael parties—fell below 50 percent as voters infuriated by austerity measures shifted their support to a Babel of anti-government voices.