Fine Gael TD Frank Feighan will represent the party in the Sligo-Leitrim constituency in the next general election.
He beat former junior minister John Perry, from Ballymote, in a selection convention in the Clayton Hotel in Sligo tonight.
Sligo councillor Thomas Walsh withdrew at the last minute, and Feighan beat Perry by 352 votes to 77. That means Feighan secured 82 per cent of the support of the 429 delegates, while Perry secured only 18 per cent.
Feighan says he hopes to be a cabinet minister after the next election, while Perry says he is "confident" Fine Gael will add his name to the ticket.
Enterprise Minister Peter Burke told the convention only one candidate was to be selected tonight, following a diktat from party HQ.
The voting then took place between Feighan and Perry.
This constituency includes all of Sligo and Leitrim and part of south Donegal.
However, it no longer includes north Roscommon, where Feighan got almost 1,300 No 1s in the last election.
North Roscommon will move to the Roscommon-Galway constituency after the next election.
Feighan is a Boyle man but has lived in Sligo in recent years.
