A senior Ulster Unionist today described as a backward step moves to allocate posts in Newry and Mourne Council under the same system used for deciding who became ministers under devolution.
As the council prepared for its first meeting tonight since the local government elections, Newry and Armagh Assembly member Danny Kennedy accused nationalist parties of planning to carve up the mayor's post and committee chairs between them under the D'Hondt mechanism previously used at Stormont.
"It is a sad day for true democracy when a system which ignores so many of the electorate is used as a template for deciding which party becomes mayor," he declared.
"This sends a negative message to the unionist community in the region as the system of allocation effectively means a carve-up between the SDLP and Sinn Féin."
In the elections earlier this month, Sinn Féin remained the largest group on Newry and Mourne Council, capturing 13 seats.
The SDLP stayed the second largest grouping with nine councillors, the Ulster Unionists have three, the DUP and independents two, and the Green Party one.
Mr Kennedy, who is also a Newry and Mourne councillor, said power sharing had been a successful feature of the council for many years.
He said: "Over many years our party gave distinguished service to the community in the civic role and it is a matter of deep regret that it is likely Henry Reilly, who steps down this evening, will be the last unionist mayor of the district."