Selection error sees SDLP run three, lose seat

West Tyrone:The SDLP has been left without a seat in the West Tyrone constituency following a selection blunder which saw the party field three candidates.

Their candidate in Omagh Dr Josephine Deehan was beaten for the penultimate seat by the independent hospital's candidate Dr Kieran Deeny. Her defeat dashed the SDLP's hopes of getting a second seat on the executive.

The SDLP campaign had been marred by a selection row which saw outgoing MLA Eugene McMenamin, who has served the constituency since 1998, deselected locally and then added to the ticket by party headquarters.

Before the election, Mr McMenamin described the party's strategy as "foolhardy", given the SDLP could only expect to gain one seat. Dr Deehan's fate was sealed when she failed to get sufficient transfers from her two running mates.

Dr Deeny caused the upset of the 2003 Assembly elections by topping the poll on the single issue of the retention of acute services at Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh. Although he was unsuccessful - the service is due to be transferred to a new hospital in Enniskillen - he managed to attract sufficient transfers to be re-elected.

"Dr Deehan is a good friend of mine, I'm sorry it had to come to this," Dr Deeny said. "The people have spoken here. To get in ahead of two parties who are gone now, the SDLP and the UUP, as a true cross-community Independent, is wonderful. The battle for proper health services in Tyrone goes on."

The performance of the SDLP was in marked contrast to that of Sinn Féin which won three seats. An effective election strategy which saw local MP Pat Doherty and councillor Barry McElduff elected on the first count with councillor Claire McGill following on from transfers, boosted the party's vote by 6 per cent, its best result of the 18 constituencies.

Mr McElduff said Sinn Féin's success was down to good vote-management with the party's projected vote only 11 votes behind its actual first preference share.

It was also a good election for the DUP whose two candidates Thomas Buchanan and Allan Bresland were elected at the expense of the UUP's Derek Hussey.

Ten years ago SF and the SDLP were at parity in the constituency, now Sinn Féin is outpolling the SDLP by three to one.