The northern political parties are gearing up for what is likely to be a bitter and hardfought election to the new northern assembly following the historic vote North and South to approve the Belfast Agreement.
The next fortnight will see a flurry of activity as candidates are chosen to contest the June 28th poll for 108 assembly seats. Tonight in Fermanagh a dissident Ulster Unionist, Ms Arlene Foster, will seek a party nomination to stand in the election just as the party's leader, Mr David Trimble, is attempting to heal divisions in the UUP.
On the nationalist side there are conflicting signals from the SDLP and Sinn Fein on the issue of an electoral pact between the two. The significance of the North's 71 per cent support for the agreement with 29 per cent against continues to be disputed among the unionist parties and factions, with both Yes and No camps claiming a majority of the unionist community. The deep divisions within unionism are expected to make this the most heated election campaign in the North's history.
The British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, is expected to visit Northern Ireland again this week to express his thanks to voters for supporting the agreement. There is speculation that he may also meet the DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley.
There is no dispute over the meaning of the result in the Republic, with 94 per cent of voters having supported the agreement, including changes in the constitutional claim to the North.
Decommissioning of paramilitary weapons, which dominated the referendum campaign in the North, is set to be a central issue in the run-up to the assembly elections. Sources close to the Provisionals last night categorically dismissed suggestions that the IRA would engage in "token" decommissioning to get Sinn Fein representatives on the executive of a new northern administration.
"It's not going to happen," one source insisted.
There might be circumstances, "a long way down the road", when there could be parallel "demilitarisation" in the North, the sources acknowledged. This would involve a series of reciprocal gestures by the security forces and paramilitary groups.
However, unilateral decommissioning, even on a token basis, was not acceptable to republicans because it would be interpreted as surrender and would amount to an acceptance that Sinn Fein's electoral mandate meant nothing. "It's not a runner, it's nonsense."
Senior UUP sources said they were "relatively pleased" with the northern referendum results. The process of candidate selection has already started, with the choice of four to stand in the Strangford constituency. All supported the Belfast Agreement. They are the local MP and UUP deputy leader, Mr John Taylor; the prominent Orange Order moderate, Mr David McNarry; Mr Tom Hamilton and Mr Tom Benson.
Moving to heal the rift in his party, the UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said: "We must not be driving people out into the cold." Reconciliation between himself and dissident MP Mr Jeffrey Donaldson is likely to be taken a stage further at a meeting of the UUP officer board at Glengall Street tomorrow night. Mr Donaldson said: "If nationalism is going to unite, obviously the objective is to put them in a stronger position against unionism, and I think unionism has come to a point where we can find a greater degree of unity in our own ranks."
The Democratic Unionist Party is expected to fight a strong campaign, and the UK Unionists will be seeking to make electoral capital out of the high profile achieved by their leader, Mr Robert McCartney, in the referendum campaign.
Unionist candidates are to be chosen in most of the other constituencies this week, except for South Down, which will make its choice the following week. The closing date for nominations is Friday, June 5th.
There is keen competition within the SDLP for nominations. The party will hold a special meeting to ratify its list of candidates throughout the North, totalling around 34 or 36, next Saturday.
Sinn Fein has already expressed its desire for an election pact with the SDLP to maximise the number of nationalist seats. However, the SDLP leader, Mr John Hume, said it was not the objective of the election to agree pacts between two parties on one side of the divide. "The objective is a partnership between the representatives of all sections of our community," he said.
There is an attractive salary and allowances package for those who are successful in the election, with a salary just below £30,000 sterling plus expenses, and allowances amounting to another £30,000.
To avoid by-elections that could upset the balance of power, a system of substitute candidates will be in place. If a vacancy occurs, the seat will be filled from the list of substitutes in order of preference.