Belfast City Council will meet tonight to elect a new lord mayor to succeed Mr Alex Maskey of Sinn Féin. It is likely to be a very close decision, with the 23 SDLP and Sinn Féin councillors supporting the SDLP candidate, Mr Martin Morgan.
The 25 councillors from the unionist parties will support the Ulster Unionist candidate, Mr Bob Stoker, a former lord mayor.
The three-strong Alliance grouping holds the balance of power on the 51-member council but has not said how it will vote. The party was meeting last night to decide its strategy. Unionists believe that, after Mr Maskey's tenure, it is their turn to hold the council's top post.
However, the SDLP argues it has not held the position for six years. The party's candidate, Mr Morgan (36), a north Belfast social worker, has a reputation as one of the party's hardest workers at a grassroots level.
"Sinn Féin held the post last year, the Ulster Unionists two years ago and the DUP three years ago, so we believe an SDLP lord mayor is appropriate this year," Mr Morgan said.
"An SDLP lord mayor would be one for all the city, north, south, east and west. It would be an all-inclusive lord mayorship. I would be committed to serving all the people of the city.
"If the SDLP is successful this time, it is highly likely there will be a unionist lord mayor next year."
The DUP is expected to vote for Mr Stoker, but Cllr Sammy Wilson said he was angry that neither the Ulster Unionists nor Alliance were prepared to support his party for lord mayor.
Mr Maskey has said he greatly enjoyed his time as first citizen. He has been praised by unionist politicians and the media for his year of office during which he laid a wreath on Remembrance Sunday for British soldiers killed during the two World Wars and regularly attempted to reach out to unionists.
Members of the business community have also praised the prominent Sinn Féin member for playing a "highly constructive" role as lord mayor.