January 24th, 1996: After publication of the Mitchell report on decommissioning, John Major, to the dismay of the Irish Government and Northern nationalists and to the delight of unionists, announces that the election is the only way around disarmament hurdle. John Hume bitterly opposes the proposal in the House of Commons.
January 27th: Gerry Adams says Sinn Fein is implacably opposed to elections.
January 29th: Sir Patrick Mayhew gives assurance that the election will not lead to new unionist dominated Stormont regime.
Early February: Government and Fianna Fail indicate some softening of attitude to elections. Election may be acceptable if it leads directly to all party talks without preconditions, they say.
February 6th: DUP says it won't engage in talks with Sinn Fein even after elections, unless IRA arsenal is dismantled.
February 9th: IRA ends its 18 month ceasefire with Canary Wharf bombing, killing two people.
February 11th: Gerry Adams says absence of negotiations made collapse of ceasefire inevitable. Further IRA bombing in subsequent weeks.
February 22nd: Ulster Unionist Party (UUP) proposes plan for 90 member assembly, elected by proportional representation from the 8 constituencies.
February 28th: British Irish governments announce June 10th as date for all party talks. Talks would follow "directly and without preconditions" on election. UUP says IRA must decommission and sign up to Mitchell before Sinn Fein could enter talks.
Early March: Intensive round of bilateral and multilateral meetings aimed at devising electoral system. Unionists refuse to meet Dick Spring in these "proximity" talks, and Sinn Fein is barred from Castle Building, Stormont.
March 21st: Major sets today,
May 30th, for elections, under single vote list system, five candidates to be elected from each of 18 constituencies. A further 20 politicians will be elected from regional list "top up" system - a system designed to try to ensure that fringe loyalist parties get to forum and talks.
SDLP and DUP wanted list system of election whereby Northern Ireland would be treated as single constituency. System is viewed as favouring UUP. SDLP and Sinn Fein still opposed to elections.
March 22nd: IRA indicates that ceasefire is not likely in near future.
March 24th: President Clinton's administration urges all parties to take part in elections.
March 30th: SDLP and Sinn Fein indicate they will contest election but boycott forum.
April 7th: Gerry Adams accuses John Bruton and Government of failing to counter "British duplicity and bad faith".
April 8th: Sinn Fein says it will contest election if SDLP agrees to take part.
April 16th: British government publishes ground rules for elections and talks, describing them as "a gateway to negotiations that can lead towards a long term political settlement in Northern Ireland". The proposals give the talks structure pre eminence over forum, to the annoyance of, unionists.
April 24th: SDLP hotly followed by Sinn Fein agrees to contest election. SDLP will selectively participate in forum, provided it does not impinge on talks process. Sinn Fein will boycott forum. Republican Sinn Fein urges nationalist boycott of election.
May 1st: Conor Cruise O'Brien agrees to contest election for Robert McCartney's UK Unionist Party.
May 13th: Martin McGuinness' says IRA ceasefire is necessary for "real and meaningful talks". Indicates Sinn Fein will have no difficulty signing up to Mitchell principles. One week later Gerry Adams confirms Sinn Fein will accept Mitchell if other parties do.
May 14th: Natural Law Party pulls out of election, leaving 23 parties and independent groupings, comprising more than 880 candidates, to fight for forum and talks places.
May 15th: John Major, in an Irish Times article, says at beginning of talks agreement must be reached on how "Mitchell's recommendations on decommissioning can be taken forward without blocking the negotiations."
May 21st: David Trimble threatens to topple Major government if concessions are made to Sinn Fein.
Final week of May: Heavy canvassing as myriad of parties sell their messages and manifestos.
