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"Given that the Federal Election is in May next year I had until today thought it appropriate to remain as President of the Victorian Division to ensure a sense of stability in the Division until the State Council at the end of March next year," he wrote.
"However, upon reading various newspaper articles today I think that when your own supporters are basically telling you it is time to go, then it is probably time to go. At the very least it will allow an interim President roughly 6 months to continue preparations for the forthcoming Federal Election.
"Accordingly, I have advised the meeting of State Assembly tonight that I am standing down as President at the end of the meeting hence this email notification to you.”
The opposition’s crushing defeat last Saturday exacerbated tensions in the administrative committee - the Liberals’ key decision making body.
This week administrative committee member Greg Mirabella, husband of former Federal Liberal MP Sophie Mirabella, emailed his colleagues saying the party needed to decide whether the current team at the top should be the one to fight the federal election.
In an email, Mr Mirabella said the party urgently needed rebranding.
"You should appreciate better than most the maxim that in politics, perception is reality and the perception is that Michael [Kroger] is the public face of the party and our party is almost terminally on the nose."
Michael Kroger resigned as Liberal Party president on Friday night. Credit:Photo: Justin McManus
Mr Kroger also upset party members this week when he said everyone in the organisation from the top down to the lowest levels had to take responsibility for the election loss.
It is understood that Matthew Guy attended a meeting of the Victorian Liberals' administrative committee on Wednesday night and defended the performance of both Mr Kroger and Victorian Liberal Party director Nick Demiris.
Mr Kroger was elected as president of the Victorian division of the Liberal Party for the first time in the 1980s, before he was elected for a second time in early 2015.
It comes as the Liberals face the loss of another senior MP, with updated figures from the Victorian Electoral Commission showing the party's energy spokesman David Southwick clinging to a lead of just 25 votes in Caulfield.
Benjamin is a state political reporter
Simone is a breaking news reporter for The Age. Most recently she covered breaking news for The Australian in Melbourne.
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