News

Sinn Féin to select fourth Fermanagh & South Tyrone candidate

Michelle Gildernew with her family, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness after her defeat in last year's Westminster election. Picture by Declan Roughan
Michelle Gildernew with her family, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness after her defeat in last year's Westminster election. Picture by Declan Roughan Michelle Gildernew with her family, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams and Martin McGuinness after her defeat in last year's Westminster election. Picture by Declan Roughan

SINN Féin will next week choose a fourth candidate to run for the assembly in Fermanagh and South Tyrone after former MP Michelle Gildernew lost out in a selection convention last month.

It is understood the party's ard chomhairle asked for an additional convention to be held in south Tyrone after three male candidates, all from Fermanagh, were selected ahead of Ms Gildernew - one of the party's most high-profile politicians.

Last month's vote, which was called after the ard chomhairle had ruled a previous result void, caused surprise both within and outside the party.

The third convention on February 19 is not a re-run of previous selection meetings, with members only asked to choose a fourth candidate in the constituency for May's assembly elections.

Party sources believe the announcement has even come as a surprise to Ms Gildernew herself.

The former Stormont agriculture minister looks set to be selected as the party's fourth candidate and will be a favourite to be returned in the constituency.

However, commentators have said the decision to field four candidates now runs the risk of handing one of Sinn Fein's three assembly seats to the SDLP.

News of the latest convention is the latest twist in a long-running selection saga.

At the original selection convention before Christmas, delegates chose Ms Gildernew alongside sitting MLA Sean Lynch and Belleek councillor John Feely, meaning that sitting assembly member Phil Flanagan lost out.

But Sinn Féin headquarters ordered a rerun after an apparent anomaly between the number of delegates and the votes cast.

Sitting Fermanagh-South Tyrone MLA Bronwyn McGahan joined the four candidates at last month's convention, despite previously signalling that she was standing down.

Mr Flanagan was selected second time around alongside Mr Lynch and Mr Feely - ousting Ms Gildernew, the former Fermanagh-South Tyrone MP.

In the 2011 assembly election, Ms Gildernew polled nearly twice as many first preference votes as both her fellow Sinn Féin candidates.

Nationalist commentator Chris Donnelly said she would also be favourite to top the nationalist vote in May, but running four candidates risks allowing the SDLP to steal one of their seats.

"Sinn Fein would have been favourite to take three seats, but the problem now is the shredding of the vote four ways," he said.

"That means candidates will to a degree have be at loggerheads, because they know that even in the most opportune circumstances all four can't be elected."

He said while the SDLP may not have a high-profile candidate in Lisnaskea businessman Richie McPhillips, some slippage in Sinn Fein transfers is inevitable and could open to the door to him.

"That would be two successive losses in this constituency for Sinn Fein and would hit their prospects of regaining the Westminster seat next time round," he said.