DEPUTY Bernard Flouquet hopes that he can become deputy chief minister now that his bid for the top job has failed. But he acknowledged he would need to secure a ministerial role in one of the 10 new departments for a place on the Policy Council, which entitles him to be nominated for the position.

‘I am looking for a place on the Policy Council and I hope that the chief minister may see fit to nominate me for the position of deputy chief minister,’ he said.

‘I hope the new chief minister will look on me favourably to be his deputy, but time will tell.

‘I think it is only fair and proper that for the people who supported me today I should put myself forward for that position and I will speak to the chief minister to see whether I can.

‘I hope the States see that while I tried to obtain that position, I have the qualities to complement the chief minister himself.’

Deputy Flouquet lost out to the favourite, Deputy Laurie Morgan, by 19 votes to 26 in Saturday’s election, despite his long campaign to gather members’ support.

‘I think that for this position, if you believe you have the ability to challenge, it is only right and proper that you should do so.

‘People have to understand that you have your supporters, even in the States. That was the process I adopted and I’m satisfied with the result.

‘I thank my supporters and hope they will support me in other positions I may wish to retain.’

He said he was not disappointed by the result.

‘That’s not the word; today has taught me that I have the ability and that I can aspire to more important positions in the States and I am young enough to try again in future.

‘There have to be losers – there were three very good candidates. Every individual had the opportunity to put themselves forward and I’m pleased Laurie Morgan got the position. I will work to support him as I have in the past.’

Deputy Flouquet was unwilling to say which of the 10 ministries he would like to head.

‘As a previous president of the Housing Authority, I would like to discuss my future as a minister with the chief minister and if he believes I should return to housing, I shall heed his comment.

‘But until I have had that discussion, it would be unfair to set myself up as an opponent to someone he may have a preference for in that particular position.’

He hoped members would get behind their new chief minister.

‘It will be nice to see the nominations made supported in the House. The new States needs to give him the team he needs to work with.’

DEPUTY Mike Torode blamed his lack of support as a chief minister candidate on his failure to lobby fellow members.

He was disappointed to go out of the three-man contest in the first round with just six votes.

‘I didn’t take part in the wheeling and dealing,’ he said.

‘I thought it was not appropriate; it was an error of judgement on my part.

‘Wheeling and dealing obviously played a big part in the electoral process.

‘It makes me feel saddened that we can’t have a straightforward process without offers in exchange for support at the ballot box.’

Deputy Torode said he was the only candidate out of the three who did no self-promotion in the run-up to the chief minister election.

Deputies Flouquet and Morgan had made it clear in their election manifesto that they would stand for the position. Deputy Torode waited until election night, when he topped the poll in the South-East district, to say that he wanted the top job.

‘I’m the only one who didn’t phone around. I didn’t make a single phone call to any deputy.

‘If I had, I would probably have polled a few more votes, but you don’t know because it’s a secret ballot.’

He said he would still like a place on the Policy Council, as head of the Home Department. He has been president of the Home Affairs Committee since its inception in the early 1990s.

‘I have a number of years’ experience to put into that department, though it has broadened and has a far wider mandate with a number of areas of responsibility, some of which are wholly new, so there are many fresh challenges in that department.’