While Prime Minister Peter O'Neill is on track to hold his seat in the latest PNG elections, his deputy minister Belden Namah could be his biggest competition.
"I thought that I was the kingmaker and that he should be listening to the kingmaker,” said Mr Namah to SBS's Kathy Novak. “He wasn't. So the only way for me to run this country is to become a king myself.”
Mr Namah says he used his influence to install Mr O'Neill.
The deputy has seized on the widespread anger over voters being denied the chance to cast a ballot because of problems with the electoral roll, laying the blame not only on Australian advisors, but also on the Prime Minister O'Neill.
It's been a political marriage of convenience between two leaders of different parties, and
Mr Namah's ambition has never been a secret.
But Mr O'Neill says he doesn't feel threatened.
“We have a very vibrant democracy, and we encourage individuals to aspire for the top job,” he said.
With voting in Papua New Guinea now into its second week, Mr O'Neill is on track to hold his seat in the southern highlands.
Polling stations are scheduled to continue moving from town to town for about another week and the counting is set to finish until the end of July.
But the real battle will come after the counting when negotiations begin to form a coalition government. Who will emerge as Prime Minster is still anyone's guess.
