Arthur Sinodinos is set to become the next president of the Liberal Party in New South Wales.

It is expected that Mr Sinodinos, former Prime Minister John Howard’s chief of staff, will easily defeat John Ruddick, a protest candidate running on an anti-factions platform. Last Saturday during a state council meeting, State Liberal leader Barry O’Farrell endorsed  Sinodinos saying that the veteran party figure has his full support.

“Arthur Sinodinos’ election will continue the reform process to clean up the Liberal Party that I set in train in 2008,” O’Farrell said.

Sinodinos, is on the right of the party and he has the support of federal leader Tony Abbott, who was quite outspoken of his view that the NSW division did not pull its weight during the federal election campaign last year. Apart from Mr Sinodinos two other Howard era figures, former senator Michael Baume, 80, and former Mitchell MP Alan Cadman, 73, have nominated for state executive positions, with support from the right. The presidency and other positions will be decided by a postal ballot of about 500 state council delegates, with a result expected late next month.

According to party rules Sinodinos is not allowed to comment before the ballot.