Unionists were tonight urged to thwart Sinn Féin`s chances of winning extra seats during next week`s Northern Ireland Assembly Election.
As parties counted down to next Wednesday`s crucial Assembly Election, Sinn Féin refused to comment on Ulster Unionist Sir Reg Empey`s call on supporters to use their votes tactically.
The East Belfast Assembly candidate argued: "In some constituencies where, for instance, unionists might be in a minority, gains can be made by continuing to vote for parties who would perhaps keep Sinn Féin out of seats.
"Constituency by constituency people are going to have to look at it and make up their minds as to whether they can influence the final seats."
In what is expected to be a tight election, how voters use Northern Ireland`s complex proportional representation system could be crucial in determining the shape of the next Assembly.
Under the electoral system, voters mark the number one against their favourite candidate on the ballot paper, the figure two against their second favourite, a three against their third and keep going as far as they want.
This means if a candidate is elected or eliminated, their votes still count in the election and are transferred to other candidates in order of preference. In a knife-edge vote, a second or third or even fourth preference could determine whether a seat falls into unionist, nationalist or cross community parties` hands.
Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble again urged supporters to give the party their initial preferences and then to transfer their votes to other unionist candidates.
SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan has appealed during the campaign to supporters to give their later preferences to pro-Belfast Agreement parties and has sought transfers from other parties, including unionists.
PA