Unionist councillors on Belfast City Council have vowed not to fill the post of deputy mayor after Sinn Féin's Mr Alex Maskey was elected as the city's first republican mayor.
Mr Maskey was elected with the support of the SDLP and Alliance Party on Wednesday, leading unionist councillors to walk out of the chamber. The current Ulster Unionist Lord Mayor, Mr Jim Rodgers, said his party had no intention in assisting Mr Maskey "in any shape or form".
His party colleague, Mr Chris McGimpsey, who polled 15 votes compared to Mr Maskey's 26 in the mayoral election, said his party had made a "categorical decision" not to nominate a representative for the deputy's position.
"I am very disappointed at the election of Mr Maskey," he said. "Given the situation in east Belfast we should not have any Sinn Féin representative, not just Alex Maskey, as this city's First Citizen."
The Sinn Féin mayor represented an organisation which had been engaged "in the destruction of this city over the past 30 years". The fact that over 60 per cent of unionists had not voted in last year's council elections was clear evidence of the alienation they felt from Belfast City Council, Mr McGimpsey added.
Mr Maskey yesterday insisted he wanted to be a mayor for all citizens in Belfast. "I want to work with the parties and the representatives of all communities.
"It is not for me to tell these communities who represents them or who speaks on their behalf but I can assure people that I will be reaching out and seeking out partners for peace in all the interface areas. I think that is a critical piece of work that I pledge myself to engage in."
It is not clear whether the SDLP will eventually put forward a candidate for the deputy's post.
Yesterday a former SDLP mayor, Mr Alban Maginness, said his party wanted to see "true power-sharing" which would require a deputy from the unionist tradition.
However, he accused unionists of "hypocrisy" given that they had previously supported candidates from the PUP and the now defunct UDP, both linked to loyalist paramilitary organisations.