The Northern Territory's 12th chief minister may not be chosen for weeks if Labor's parliamentary members fail to reach a consensus on who the next leader should be.
The NT government will hold a caucus vote on Friday to try to determine who will be the new chief minister, following Michael Gunner's sudden resignation during a budget speech on Tuesday.
But if Labor's MLAs fail to reach a consensus, the party's constitution says the vote would then need to be put to Labor's NT membership base.
Energy Minister Eva Lawler said on Thursday morning that the rank-and-file "still might" get a chance to determine who will take the role.
"The opportunity is there for caucus first and foremost to have that opportunity to choose their chief minister, and then it can go to rank-and-file if that's not the case," Ms Lawler said.
With the vote happening against the backdrop of a looming federal election, and two marginal NT seats at play, Ms Lawler denied that the NT government's leadership change would be a disruption.
"I actually don't think it's that disruptive at all," Ms Lawler said.
"I think there's a large number of people that have already voted in the federal election … I think Territorians are smart enough to understand that they're two very different processes.
"The process around a leader, if it did go to a ballot, that just concerns rank-and-file members, it doesn't concern anybody else in the public around that."
The process for a rank-and-file ballot would take four weeks.
Acting Chief Minister Nicole Manison said yesterday she believed the parliamentary caucus would resolve the matter and decide a leader at the meeting on Friday.
"We will be having one chief minister come out of that meeting, because that is really important," Ms Manison said.
"People want stability, and they want to know they've got a government working for them."
Who has the numbers?
Speculation has been mounting about who will put their hand up for the top job, with members of NT Labor's left and right factions both being touted as possible contenders.
From the right faction, Ms Manison is expected to be put forward for the role, while the choices from the left include Health Minister Natasha Fyles and former AFL player Joel Bowden.
Ms Lawler, from the party's right faction, said she believed whoever took the role should be someone with ministerial experience – something which Mr Bowden does not have.
"It is a complex job being a minister, and I think you do need to have that background in being a minister before you become a chief minister, that's my personal opinion," she said.
Mr Bowden has been approached for comment over whether he's planning to go for the job.
Another prospect for future chief minister that has been discussed is Attorney General Selena Uibo, who is not aligned with either the left or right faction.
