Sinn Féin's Francie Molloy MLA, then deputy speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly, was selected as the party's candidate. Nigel Lutton stood as an Independent Unionist, supported by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), the Ulster Unionist Party (UUP; who stood at the preceding general election as part of the Conservatives and Unionists), Traditional Unionist Voice (TUV) and others. The possibility of a unionist 'unity' candidate to maximise the chance of defeating Sinn Féin was raised early on. There were discussions between the DUP and the UUP on standing a unity candidate. The UUP were described as being "coy" on whether or not they would stand or support another unionist candidate. The DUP chair of Magherafelt District Council and TUV leader Jim Allister MLA called for a unity candidate and TUV said they would probably not stand a candidate. The UUP leader Mike Nesbitt said in late January that the party would be willing to support a "community candidate", but that the UUP would stand a candidate if the DUP stood a candidate. However, a meeting of the UUP constituency association was reported to be divided on the issue of whether to support a unity candidate. This came against a backdrop of greater unionist unity in Northern Irish politics more generally, including the setting up of the Unionist Forum and warmer relationships between the DUP and UUP, and the flag protests. On behalf of the UK Independence Party, David McNarry MLA also supported the idea of a unionist unity candidate in a press release. The idea of a unionist unity candidate was criticised as "living in the past" by Molloy, the Sinn Féin candidate. Alliance candidate Eric Bullick also criticised the decision. On 14 February, the UUP and DUP constituency associations both agreed to support victims' campaigner and local undertaker Nigel Lutton as a single unionist candidate. TUV are also supported Lutton's candidacy, with Walter Millar, the party's constituency chairman and their candidate at the general election, signing Lutton's nomination papers. However, two UUP Members of the Northern Ireland Legislative Assembly, former deputy leader John McCallister and Basil McCrea, resigned from the party in protest at the decision and closer co-operation with the DUP. After the by-election, in June 2013, they announced the formation of NI21, a new unionist party. Lutton declined to tell reporters which party he usually votes for.