FORMER Belfast lord mayor Máirtín Ó Muilleoir was last night selected to contest South Belfast for Sinn Féin in May's Westminster election.
In a series of changes, which one commentator described as "musical chairs," Mr Ó Muilleoir was also co-opted to the assembly.
He will represent South Belfast at Stormont with Alex Maskey switching constituencies to West Belfast and assuming the seat vacated this month by Sue Ramsey.
Former Stormont health committee chairwoman Ms Ramsey stepped down a fortnight ago due to ill-health.
Mr Ó Muilleoir was widely expected to contest the general election in the south of the city but the decision to move Mr Maskey to West Belfast in order to accommodate the former lord mayor's co-option to the assembly will raise a few eyebrows.
And should Mr Ó Muilleoir be successful in his Westminster bid another Sinn Fein MLA will be co-opted into south Belfast in just seven months' time.
Irish News columnist Brian Feeney said the move was "unprecedented", though he pointed out that Mr Maskey has a strong affinity with the west of the city.
"While it is certainly a surprise move, Maskey stood there as long ago as 1982 when he was Gerry Adams's running mate," he said.
Mr Feeney likened the personnel switches to a game of musical chairs but he said Mr Ó Muilleoir was likely to poll higher than Mr Maskey in what is a relatively middle-class constituency.
"Certainly Máirtín has a high profile in the south of the city thanks to his time as mayor and I believe he'll also be able to reach parts of the constituency that Maskey couldn't," he said.
In the 2010 general election Sinn Féin stood aside unilaterally, leaving the field clear for SDLP leader Alasdair McDonnell who won the seat with a majority of nearly 6,000.
Mr Feeney said he did not expect Sinn Féin and the sitting South Belfast MP to agree a pact. He said a deal between the Ulster Unionists and DUP in the constituency was similarly unlikely.
"There's no way the SDLP will do a deal because as well as any principle it would also destroy their credibility for the assembly elections," he said.
"As far as the DUP and UUP goes there's too much bad blood between the two in South Belfast to make a deal feasible."
The columnist said the likely outcome of next year's poll was that the SDLP would hold the seat.
Speaking after last night's selection convention, Mr Ó Muilleoir said it was a privilege to represent the people of South Belfast.
"In this new role I will work to build a better Belfast and will campaign vigorously to become the new MP for the south of the city," he said.
"It is also an honour to be chosen as an MLA to build on the great work carried out by my colleague Alex Maskey."
* CHANGES: Sinn Féin's Máirtín Ó Muilleoir and Alex Maskey