The question of who will lead the Island through the difficult political times ahead is in sharp focus.
Chief Minister Tony Brown's decision to retire at the general election in September - announced on Manx Radio yesterday (Monday) - brings his 35-year political career to an end.
In the next five years, the person in the top job in Manx politics will have to take many decisions likely to prove unpopular, as the next government battles to reduce public spending.
Our election commentator Charles Cain, who entered the House of Keys with Tony Brown in 1981, says it's not a job for the faint-hearted:
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