THE British government is considering a "hybrid" electoral system - combining elements of a constituency based election and a party-list system - as a compromise between the conflicting proposals of the Ulster Unionist Party, the Democratic Unionist Party and the SDLP.
This emerged last night as British ministers prepared to decide the form of an elective process leading to all party negotiations in the North beginning on June 10th.
The British Prime Minister, Mr John Major, will preside over the cabinet's Northern Ireland committee later today. And Mr Major will have further telephone discussions with the Taoiseach, Mr Bruton, before finalising the terms of an announcement expected after Thursday's full cabinet meeting.
Senior Ulster Unionists appear confident that Mr Major is set to come down in favour of Mr David Trimble's proposal for a 90 member forum in Northern Ireland, which would operate in parallel to the proposed all party negotiations.
However, usually reliable sources last night indicated the government is veering away from Mr Trimble's preference for the election of five members in each of the 18 Westminster constituencies by way of the single transferable vote system.
The combination of constituency elections and a list system was, in fact, among the options presented to the British government in a UUP paper prior to Mr Trimble's election as party leader last September The UUP paper of February 21st, 1995, envisaged the direct election of three members per constituency, with the parties overall first preference votes then used as the basis for a proportional distribution, of the remaining seats.
There were signs last night that the British government's search for a compromise election system has been encouraged by pressure from the Labour Party, amid tears that the SDLP would simply boycott an elective process which too closely resembles that favoured by Mr Trimble.
And British government sources last night confirmed the various parties retained the boycott option, despite a request in the March 8th consultation papers that the parties would not withdraw from the talks process if they objected to the formula finally determined by Mr Major.
It was also confirmed last night there is as yet no agreement on the questions which might be put in referendums - to be held simultaneously North and South - inviting support for the principles of non violence.
Labour's hope is that a compromise election formula, a referendum on the lines proposed by Mr John Hume, and agreement on the ground rules for negotiations published at the weekend, will ensure SDLP acceptance of the process. And the bipartisan view at Westminster last nights appeared to be that, contrary to reports in the British press, elections and a referendum should be held on the same day. British sources maintained no date in May has yet been fixed for the elections.
Maol Muire Tynan adds from Dublin:
There was concern in Government circles that the British government might adopt the UUP model for a multi constituency election in Northern Ireland or go for a mix of this and the list system.
According to senior sources, there were "no indications" given to the Government yesterday about British intentions for the elections which are to pave the way for all party negotiations on June 10th.
"There is a very clear danger that the unionists intention is to stall the start of negotiations and to try to put it in an internal context. To nationalists that is anathema. If they get this, there is a danger that there will not be all party talks led by the two governments", one source added.