Penyrheol, Trecenydd and Energlyn ward councillor Lindsay Whittle has been named as Plaid Cymru’s parliamentary candidate for Caerphilly.
The announcement coincides with Prime Minister Boris Johnson calling for a general election to be held on December 12.
Cllr Whittle, a former regional AM for South Wales East, stood for Plaid in the 2017 General Election and the 2016 Assembly Election.
The current MP for Caerphilly is Labour’s Wayne David, who received 54.5% of the vote in 2017.
A councillor for 43 years, Cllr Whittle has served as council leader twice, with his first spell in charge between 1999 and 2004 and his second spell between 2008 and 2011.
He said: “I was very pleased to receive a vote of confidence from party members in Caerphilly, where was I born and live.
“The time has arrived when people are looking for alternatives to the big two parties. Caerphilly has been represented by Labour at Westminster for decades but what have they achieved?
“The Tories under Boris Johnson will never be Wales’ friends while Labour is weak and hopelessly divided. I urge the voters of Caerphilly to put their faith in someone who has worked on behalf of the people for more than four decades.
Cllr Whittle, who is also chair of the Aber Valley Heritage Group and chair of governors at Cwm Ifor Primary School, added: “There is also need to devolve more and more power from Westminster to Wales where decisions can be taken by politicians who know local communities the best. We need to take back control of our lives.
“As council leader I’m pleased that there was little controversy over my eight years as leader, in comparison to the continual controversy we see today.”
Cllr Whittle’s selection is expected to be confirmed by the party’s National Executive Committee.