The Free National Movement (FNM) is focused on winning the next election and has no immediate plans to nominate a possible successor to Brent Symonette, party chairman Carl Bethel said.
Last week Symonette, deputy prime minister and deputy leader of the governing party, announced that he would not seek re-election in the St. Anne's constituency, or a nomination in any other area.
Bethel said while there are likely some people in the party with ambitions to supersede Symonette, the party has its eye on the general election - not an internal one.
"Nobody has expressed any interest either way on that issue. It is a matter that the members of the party have put (aside). They're not thinking about that. The party is focused on the election and having a unified thrust to win the next election," Bethel said yesterday.
"Elections for posts like leader and deputy leader can be very divisive; right now the party is focused on preserving internal cohesion to the greatest extent possible. I'm sure persons have it in their mind but it's not a matter that's going to derail the unity we are seeking to preserve as we try to win the next election. All of those matters will come later, after the election," Bethel said.
The Sea Breeze MP added that being chosen as deputy leader of the party is not an automatic rite of passage to deputy prime minister.
"The constitution of The Bahamas does not even recognize the existence of a deputy prime minister. There is no guarantee that because someone is elected deputy party leader, that person will be appointed deputy prime minister," Bethel said.
He added: "There is no constitutional significance in the fact that the FNM is going into an election with a deputy leader who has announced that he doesn't intend to run. There is no constitutional implication. There is nothing in our constitution that requires a deputy leader to be a member of Parliament."
Yesterday two Cabinet ministers echoed Bethel's statements and shied away from revealing future ambitions.
"Brent is presently our deputy leader so that issue won't come up at this point in time. My interest is the FNM winning the government and winning my seat - after that we'll see," said Health Minister Dr. Hubert Minnis. "Brent Symonette is presently in the chair and he has my 100 percent support."
Labour Minister Dion Foulkes said: "My main concern now is to perform the best I can as a minister and secure the Yamacraw seat for the FNM government. I've given no consideration for that.
"There's no vacancy. There hasn't been any resignation."
At a press conference announcing the news, Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham said Symonette will retain his ministerial portfolios until after the next election, and will remain deputy leader of the party until the next convention.
Symonette said his decision to retire from front-line politics, a choice he made more than two years ago, was in keeping with the FNM's plans to attract new candidates.
The FNM plans to hold a convention within the first six months of this year.
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