The selection of Ms. Gildernew on Monday night may come as something of a surprise to republicans in Fermanagh - she was chosen ahead of the Westminster election candidate four years ago, Mr. Gerry McHugh, and another long-standing party activist Francie Molloy from Dungannon. All three are members of the Stormont assembly.

    A spokesman for the party said the three MLAs contested the nomination and that Ms. Gildernew candidature was fully supported by the losing candidates.

    While the procedure by which Ms. Gildernew was selected has not been revealed, the spokesman for the party said that each cumann (branch) in the constituency had an input in her selection.

    Nonetheless the selection of Ms. Gildernew ahead of Mr. McHugh will prompt speculation that the party's leadership had an influence on the outcome of Monday's convention. In an article in a Sunday newspaper published in June it was suggested that Mr. McHugh was regarded in leadership circles as a "fundamentalist" and that Ms. Gildernew was more in keeping with the party's new image. The party has also been eager to promote women up through the ranks.

    However it will have been noted that Mr. McHugh has built up a considerable power base, especially in the Fermanagh end of the constituency and in the 1997 elections he outpolled the SDLP's Tommy Gallagher and increased his winning margin in the 1998 assembly elections.

    The worry for Sinn Fein is that choosing a candidate from outside the county could see Fermanagh voters drifting to the SDLP if, as expected, that party selects Belleek-based assembly member Mr. Gallagher.

    With sitting MP, Mr. Ken Maginnis, expected not to stand next time out, both nationalist parties believe there is a realistic chance of taking the seat, especially if Mr. Maginnis's successor is in the UUP's 'yes' camp and the Ulster Unionist vote is affected by a strong DUP showing. That said, the UUP candidate would still be strongly favoured to win the seat given that a redrawing of the constituency boundaries has transferred several thousand mainly nationalist voters to neighbouring Mid-Ulster.

    Although her name is synonymous with the start of the civil rights campaign - her mother was at the centre of the famous eviction incident in Caledon in 1968 which prompted widespread protests about discrimination in housing allocation - Ms. Gildernew has been an up-and-coming member of the party for some time.