Premier Dennis Fentie says there will be no spring election in the Yukon, but his political future is a closely guarded secret to which even those in his caucus are not privy.

With a Yukon Party leadership review looming and word that several of its sitting MLAs are considering a run at the helm, it would seem a good strategy for Fentie to keep his cards close to his chest.

But following the end of the spring sitting in the legislature on Monday – the final sitting before the election must be called, no later than Oct. 14 – Fentie denied that holding off declaring his intentions was any kind of tactic.

"I'm not sure you can refer to it as a strategy; it's a personal matter. Nor is any member of our team discussing things for the fall,” he told the Star, adding that the government is "dealing with matters of today.

"But as far as what's ahead, that is a choice and decision that I will make personally and it will come after due deliberation because this is not a career choice, it's a life choice,” he continued.

"And anyone who makes decisions to enter or exit the political arena for the wrong reasons is making a mistake. I want to make sure what I do is for the right reasons and the interests of the Yukon and its future.”

The premier said he intends to serve out the remainder of his party's mandate to 2011.

Currently, Fentie is the longest-serving premier in the country, and his majority Yukon Party government – first elected in 2002, then re-elected in 2006 – is the second longest-sitting government after B.C.'s Liberals.

Momentarily hobbled to minority government status the summer of 2009 by the defection of former Energy, Mines and Resources minister Brad Cathers, Fentie lured wandering MLA John Edzerza back to the Yukon Party and restored his majority government.

For Edzerza's return, Fentie rewarded the former NDP MLA with the Environment portfolio.

But Cathers' self-imposed exile to the opposition benches to sit as an independent, after four Yukon Energy Corp. directors resigned to protest Fentie's attempt to privatize the public utility, continues to dog the premier.

When he resigned, Cathers accused Fentie of lying to his caucus and the public about negotiations with ATCO, and the potential deal to privatize the Yukon's public utility for pennies on the dollar.

Cathers also suggested there were other disgruntled Yukon Party MLAs who were contemplating leaving caucus too, but the remaining caucus members stayed loyal to Fentie.

Facing down a potential leadership review last May – brought on largely by the ATCO affair and near-disintegration of the Yukon Party government – Fentie successfully appealed to the party's membership to hold off on a review until the spring of 2011.

And during this spring sitting of the legislature, the Liberals would not let Fentie forget about the ATCO scandal and assailed the premier for his back-room dealing, and his cabinet for its complicity.

Today, the biggest unknown in Yukon politics is whether Fentie will defend his leadership, with an eye to winning a third mandate from Yukon voters, or bow out on top. For those leaning towards Fentie's retirement, the question of who would replace him remains.

From the current batch of nine Yukon Party MLAs, Deputy Premier Elaine Taylor is being touted as a potential successor to Fentie, and there are rumblings that Energy, Mines and Resources Minister Patrick Rouble and Economic Development Minister Jim Kenyon are each contemplating leadership runs.

There are also rumours that Darryl Pasloski, the failed 2008 federal Conservative candidate, is considering a run at the Yukon Party's leadership. In a previous interview with the Star, Pasloski said he has been in talks with the party, but would not elaborate on what was discussed, nor did he rule out entering territorial politics.

Opposition Liberal Leader Arthur Mitchell said he takes Fentie's declarations about finishing his mandate and not calling a spring election, with a grain of salt.

"We continue to get ready because it would not be a very good explanation on my part if (Fentie) dropped the writ and we said, ‘But he told a reporter there wasn't going to be a spring election,'” Mitchell said.