Sitting SDLP councillor Máiría Cahill says she has been forced to pull out of next month's local government elections due to a rule that forces candidates to make their home address public.
The former Irish Labour Senator was co-opted onto Lisburn and Castlereagh Council last July in the Killultagh ward to replace Christine Robb who stepped down from the seat.
She was to run in May's local government election and had already started canvassing with over 5000 leaflets delivered to local homes.
However, in a announcement yesterday Ms Cahill revealed that she would not be standing due to a rule that states her home address must be printed on the ballot paper and on her nomination forms.
A victim of harassment with a restraining order in place against her abuser, Ms Cahill says she has had to move home numerous times in the past for the safety of herself and her young daughter.
Ms Cahill says she lives with protective measures in place at her home and rarely tells people where she lives.
"As the Chief Electoral Officer tells me she has no way of redacting my address, she would have no option but to disqualify me as a candidate for not making my address available on my nomination form".
"I am assured the law will change in the future as a result of this fiasco. It will be too late for me, but it will help others in my situation who want to enter the political arena".
SDLP Leader Colum Eastwood said it was "a disgrace that a victim whose safety would be jeopardised by publication of her address is not afforded the same protection in a local government election that every Assembly and Westminster candidate can avail of".
