BRITAIN: Mark Oaten will today announce whether he intends to stand against Sir Menzies Campbell in the race to succeed Charles Kennedy as leader of Britain's Liberal Democrats.
The third potential heavyweight contender, party president Simon Hughes, has said he will declare his hand later this week as pressure mounts to prevent a "coronation" for bookmakers' favourite Sir Menzies.
Having opposed Mr Kennedy six years ago, Mr Hughes is understood to be reluctant to lose a second leadership vote. However, he has rejected suggestions that a contest could spark a "civil war" and serve only to prolong the bitterness sparked by Mr Kennedy's enforced resignation.
"That's absolutely the opposite of the case," he said. "Contested elections are healthy for democracy. The Conservative Party had one. They saw it did them no harm. We will have one, I hope. I am sure it will do us no harm."
While Mr Hughes and Mr Oaten assessed their prospects, expectations of a contest in any event grew last night when former education spokesman Phil Willis MP said he would stand if necessary to force a vote by the political party's 73,000 members.
As the party's federal executive agreed the timetable for electing a new leader by March 2nd, some supporters of Sir Menzies - including Nick Clegg, one of the 2005 intake of new MPs already tipped as a future leader - made clear they too would welcome a contest.
However, as Sir Menzies won the powerful backing of former leader Lord (Paddy) Ashdown, Baroness Shirley Williams suggested it would be "a brave man or woman" who now stood against him.
Sir Menzies declined to say if he would welcome a contest, while declaring his wish to restore "a sense of unity and purpose" following Mr Kennedy's resignation.
He said Mr Kennedy, who was forced out 48 hours after admitting a drink problem, had acted with great courage and dignity.
The continuing bitterness caused by Friday's parliamentary revolt brought a fresh intervention from Mr Kennedy, who likened his experience to that of Margaret Thatcher, and warned colleagues in-fighting and loss of support could result "when something like this can happen to a leader" who lost the backing of MPs but retained broad support in the party at large.