ALDE leader Graham Watson has said his group is "not resolutely opposed" to a parliamentary vote next month on José Manuel Barroso being given the chance of a second term as commission president.
The Socialists and Greens are fiercely opposed to a vote being held when parliament resumes in Strasbourg on 14 July, with both groups preferring to delay the issue until September.
Most observers think their aim is to wait to see if a "dark horse", such as former Belgian prime minister and newly-elected MEP Guy Verhofstadt, emerges to challenge Barroso, who won the backing of most EU leaders for a second term in office at last week's EU summit in Brussels.
Up until now, it was assumed that ALDE would probably endorse Barroso but Watson's latest comments have once again thrown the whole question of his reappointment into limbo.
Watson, who is due to step down shortly as ALDE leader, said, "Unlike the Socialists and Greens, ALDE is not resolutely opposed to a vote in July.
"While Liberal Democrat prime ministers have pronounced themselves in favour of a July vote, opinion among ALDE MEPs is varied.
"We want to see a number of conditions fulfilled before such a vote is taken."
His remarks come after Swedish prime minister Fredrik Reinfeldt announced he planned to postpone a meeting with group leaders in Stockholm. The meeting was due to be held on 25 June but will now be held on 6 July.
The difficulty he faces is to secure enough support among parliament's political groups to ensure there is a successful outcome when a vote is finally held on Barroso's second term.
Sweden, which takes over the EU presidency on 1 July, is keen on an early vote but most pundits think the whole issue is likely to be put off until the autumn.
The prospect of that happening led Sweden's EU minister and former MEP Cecilia Malmström to warn this week that the EU risks being plunged into a "power vacuum".
"That would be very unfortunate for the whole EU," Malmström told journalists on Monday.
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