Jeremy Rockliff is set to become Tasmania's next premier and Michael Ferguson his deputy when the Liberal party room meets early Friday, with Elise Archer's leadership bid appearing to be over.
Liberal sources said the men appeared to have struck a deal, meaning Attorney-General Elise Archer was unlikely to contest the role of deputy as planned.
The party has not had a woman in a leadership role since Denise Swan was opposition deputy leader two decades ago.
The leadership change was sparked by Peter Gutwein's shock departure, announced at a snap press conference Monday where he said he had "nothing left in the tank".
It was unclear whether Mr Ferguson would contest the leadership until he announced early Thursday plans to run as Mr Rockliff's deputy.
In a statement, Mr Ferguson said "after positive conversations with Jeremy Rockliff and the Parliamentary Liberal Party, I will nominate to support Jeremy as his deputy".
"Jeremy and I have prudently worked through our plans this week, we are focused on the everyday needs of Tasmanians and we have a plan for the government's continued success based on the very sound foundations we have laid since 2014."
Ms Archer had appealed for her colleagues' support on her record and said her promotion would provide the right mix of gender and geography to the leadership team.
Mr Ferguson and Mr Rockliff are both from Tasmania's north, while Ms Archer represents the southern seat of Clark.
Mr Ferguson, a conservative whose portfolios currently cover Construction and Housing, Infrastructure and Transport, Finance, State Development and Local Government, was Mr Gutwein's main contender in the last leadership contest in 2020.
