It's the forgotten election. The North will elect its Westminster MPs and local councillors on the same day for the first time, but the contest for its 26 councils has been largely ignored. Most voters haven't even bothered to read the local government literature. With Brid, Pat and Willie neck and neck in West Tyrone, Bob and Lady Hermon slugging it out in leafy North Down, and a host of other intriguing political races, the battle over who sets the rates and empties the bins pales into insignificance.
But it shouldn't. The UUP is the largest party at local government level, holding 185 seats. Observers believe that significant losses here, combined with a poor Westminster result, could spell the end for Mr David Trimble and seriously undermine the Belfast Agreement.
The DUP says that if Mr Trimble loses 20-30 council seats he will face a leadership challenge. The DUP deputy leader, Mr Peter Robinson, predicts his party will make gains across the North, particularly in areas where it is mounting a strong Westminster challenge. It is hoping for gains on Ards Council, on the tail of Ms Iris Robinson's Westminster campaign in Strangford.
Similarly, the Rev Willie McCrea's success in winning South Antrim in last September's Westminster by-election is expected to lead to DUP gains on Newtownabbey and Antrim councils. Mr Gregory Campbell's campaign in East Derry could also help the DUP on Coleraine Council, where the UUP holds 10 of 22 seats.
UUP sources say they will be lucky to maintain their present council representation. The Progressive Unionist Party, the UVF's political wing, has six councillors, including three in Belfast - Mr David Ervine, Mr Billy Hutchinson, and Mr Hugh Smyth. Although its overall vote might not decline because the PUP is contesting more constituencies this time, observers believe it will experience a drop in its vote in wards it contested in 1997. Last year's loyalist feud, in which seven people died, could have a detrimental effect. The Ulster Democratic Party, the UDA's political wing, will suffer even more serious repercussions. It currently has four councillors, including its party leader, Mr Gary McMichael, and Mr David Adams. However, UDP candidates have been forced to stand as independents because the party did not register in time. In the 1997 local government elections, the SDLP lost seven seats, while Sinn Fein gained 23 and increased its vote by 4.7 per cent. The party is hoping to maintain this trend tomorrow with further gains in Derry, Newry and Mourne. A sign of the North's changing demography is Sinn Fein's decision to contest Castlereagh Council - dominated for the past two decades by Peter and Iris Robinson - for the first time. It has a chance of winning its first seat in DUP-dominated Ballymena Council. In Belfast, Sinn Fein has almost twice as many seats as the SDLP. With 13 councillors, it is the joint largest party, with the UUP, in City Hall. It's hoping to become the largest party outright with the chance of extra seats in Balmoral, Pottinger, and Oldpark. However, the SDLP says it could regain seats lost to Sinn Fein in Castle and Upper Falls. Sinn Fein is hoping to secure the mayoralty of Belfast after the election. In Belfast and west of the Bann, nationalists have made gain after gain in every local election. In 1997 unionists lost control of three councils - Fermanagh, Cookstown and Strabane.
Unionists and pro-Union groups currently control 14 councils - Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Carrickfergus, Larne, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Craigavon, Lisburn, Newtownabbey and North Down. The only one where there is the possibility of change is Armagh.
Nationalists are in the majority on nine councils - Cookstown, Derry, Down, Limavady, Fermanagh, Magherafelt, Newry and Mourne, Omagh and Strabane. Dungannon, Moyle and Belfast are deadlocked. In Dungannon, retiring UUP MP, Mr Ken Maginnis, is hoping to return to local government after a lengthy absence. Observers are predicting the DUP and Sinn Fein will perform well across the North. The low turn-out for council elections usually benefits Sinn Fein and the DUP - their voters are the most committed. However, the UUP and the SDLP are hoping that the expected higher turn-out, because of the Westminster election, will benefit their candidates.