Belfast councillors last night elected the city's fourth nationalist lord mayor.
Pat McCarthy of the SDLP received the backing of all parties in the city council except Sinn Féin to become his party's third councillor to hold the city's top civic post.
Democratic Unionist councillor Ruth Patterson was elected deputy lord mayor with the backing of all parties except Sinn Féin.
Ulster Unionist hopes of taking the lord mayor post had been dented when the cross-community Alliance Party grouping at Belfast City Hall ruled out its support because of the decision to admit Progressive Unionist leader David Ervine into the UUP's ranks at Stormont despite the Ulster Volunteer Force remaining active.
The Alliance Party holds the balance of power on the city council.