Kelly selected for North Belfast

Gerry Kelly has been selected as party's North Belfast candidate

Gerry Kelly has been selected as the Sinn Fein candidate to fight the North Belfast seat in the next general election, which is expected in May.

Mr Kelly was selected unopposed by the party on Wednesday.

Speaking afterwards, Mr Kelly said that he would be "fighting this election on an abstentionist ticket".

He is an assembly member for North Belfast and a junior minister in the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

Mr Kelly said: "The next election will be an important one, one in which I will continue to campaign on the important issues that effect people's daily lives within this constituency."

The DUP's Nigel Dodds holds the North Belfast seat. He polled 13,935 (45.6%) in the 2005 Westminster election. In 2005, Mr Kelly got 8,747 votes (28.6%).

On Wednesday, a review committee led by Sir Christopher Kelly recommended that MPs should not be allowed to "double job" as Stormont assembly members.

Sixteen out of Northern Ireland's 18 MP's currently serve as assembly members.

Sir Christopher's team concluded that these dual mandates should end by the next Assembly elections in May 2011.