A former senior trade unionist is to seek the Sinn Féin nomination in the tightest of battles for a Westminster seat.
Professor Pat Cullen is the former General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing in the UK.
She has announced that she will be seeking the party's nomination for the Fermanagh South Tyrone constituency.
She is originally from Co Tyrone.
Sinn Féin held the seat by a margin of just 57 votes in 2019.
Former MP Michelle Gildernew is now contesting a seat in the European election in the Midlands North West constituency.
Fermanagh South Tyrone is the most marginal seat in the UK parliament.
The Ulster Unionists have already nominated a candidate.
Yesterday, it said it would not support an agreed non-party candidate in conjunction with the other unionist parties in the constituency.
Professor Cullen was prominent during recent public health strikes in Northern Ireland.
She said her name would go forward to a party selection convention this week.
"After much consideration I have decided now is the right time for me to step forward...to champion the issues and opportunities for the community I love," she said.
She added that the election was an opportunity to fight years of Conservative underfunding of the NI health service.
