Democratic Unionist leader the Rev Ian Paisley today vowed to serve the full four-year term as Northern Ireland First Minister.
Mr Paisley, who will become First Minister alongside Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness as Deputy First Minister on May 8th, dismissed speculation that he would only in the post for a short period of time, possibly a year.
He told filmmakers making a documentary to be broadcast in Northern Ireland next month: "I am going to do the full term... the full term... the four years.
"I have no intention of retiring because I believe that Ulster needs me. I believe they need the leadership that I can give them."
Mr Paisley's comments to Ulster television would appear to have killed speculation that DUP deputy leader Peter Robinson or other senior party members like North Belfast MP Nigel Dodds could succeed him within the next year as First Minister and possibly DUP leader.
The First Minister in waiting, who has just turned 81, has spent the last three weeks preparing for his new role as the joint head of the new Northern Ireland power sharing executive.
Yesterday he named his team of ministers for the executive. Mr Robinson and Mr Dodds were appointed as the ministers for Finance and Economy respectively.
Arlene Foster and Edwin Poots were also named as the ministers for the Environment and Culture. Mr Paisley's son Ian Junior will join him as a junior minister in the Office of First and Deputy First Minister.
Mr Paisley told the documentary team there was nobody else who had the popular support to take on the role of First Minister.
"You know perfectly well there is no other politician who has the backing of the people as I have at the present time," the North Antrim MP said. Mr Paisley said he believed that support extended into Northern Ireland's Catholic community. "I think that the Roman Catholic people are amazingly kind to me," he declared.