Liberal Party president Michael Kroger faces challenge

THE Liberal Party is facing a nasty factional fight over the party’s presidency just months before this year’s state election.

THE Liberal Party is facing a nasty factional fight over the party’s presidency just months before this year’s state election.

Senior Liberal sources confirmed they expected the party’s metropolitan male vice-president Greg Hannan to nominate for president against the incumbent Michael Kroger when nominations close on Friday.

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02/04/2017: Michael Kroger at the 163rd Liberal Party State Council, in Melbourne. Stuart McEvoy for The Australian.

The prospect of a state election year stoush over the presidency has horrified MPs in both Canberra and Spring St because it would consume energy and intensify factional ill feeling.

The run-up to any contest for the presidency, which will be decided at the Liberals’ state council in May, will also have the unfortunate timing happening at the same time as the party’s case against its major donor the Cormack Foundation takes place in the federal court.

Sources close to Mr Hannan say he is under intense pressure to run from grassroots members opposed to young turk numbers man Marcus Bastiaan, who is allied with Mr Kroger.