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It was only a few weeks ago that Premier Greg Selinger's grip on power in Manitoba appeared tenuous at best. But he has lived to fight another day, and it now appears the rules of engagement for the leadership contest he called to help quell a rebellion in his ranks might allow him to survive as NDP leader.

This past weekend, members of the NDP's provincial council voted to reject a motion requiring Mr. Selinger to step down during the 90-day leadership campaign scheduled for the New Year. Those who supported the proposal felt it was the only way to ensure full transparency and a fair fight. But their voices were drowned out by backers of the Premier who did not see any conflict with him remaining on the job while campaigning to keep it.

The problems with the party's decision are obvious.

A premier controls all the levers of power in government. He (in this case) has ultimate authority over what decisions are made and when they are announced. Consequently, every edict Mr. Selinger makes throughout the campaign will be viewed through a specific lens: Those new hospital plans he's unveiling, that tax hike he's reversing, those new seniors' centres he's promising – all intended to prime the pump of his candidacy.

It will be like an election campaign. And how does anyone in his party running against him compete?

Also, what if someone in Mr. Selinger's cabinet decides to run? How would that work? It would be unconscionable to imagine members of the executive council being forced to step down if the Premier does not have to. And yet cabinet ministers are supposed to be loyal not only to the province but also their leader.

How do cabinet ministers hit the campaign trail and tell party members the boss does not have it any more? That some of his decisions have set the province back? That they would do a better job?

How can challengers of Mr. Selinger be confident that any decision that allows the Premier, instead of his executive council opponents, to release some positive ministry news is not designed to give him advantageous media exposure at their expense? It would not be the first time a Premier elbowed a cabinet minister out of the way for his own, self-serving glory.

But really: How can the Manitoba NDP expect to have an open and honest leadership debate in these circumstances? It's an abject farce.

Mr. Selinger still has a firm grip on the party apparatus. The weekend vote on campaign rules is clear evidence of that. And this control will likely help him immensely leading up to the March vote. On top of that, his adversaries, such as they are, have been completely outmanoeuvred by the Premier.

As you may recall, five members of his cabinet quit in protest against his leadership in early November. The cabal believed Mr. Selinger would do the right thing and resign. When he did not, the Gang of Five appeared devoid of a Plan B. Astonishingly, they all decided to remain members of the NDP caucus. Even more astonishingly, Mr. Selinger allowed them to.

When the Opposition tabled a confidence motion in the legislature last month, the Gang of Five voted to prop up the man it said had lost the faith of the public. It was perhaps the defining moment of this entire affair, because it allowed the Premier to take the full measure of his enemies. When the time arrived for the Gang of Five to reveal its true colours, all of them turtled. Mr. Selinger knew instantly he had little to worry about – at least from them.

That is not to say he should not still be concerned. A leadership race that is so stacked in his favour will do little to assuage growing friction at the grassroots level of the party. New Democrats cannot be impressed with a process that is evidently so undemocratic. Grumblings are growing among the corporate class, which is embarrassed by the amateurish light in which recent events have cast the province. Not good for attracting investment.

Certainly, there is little about recent political events of which the people of Manitoba can be proud.

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