ALBANY — One of the dissidents who said he secured the No. 2 post in the Senate appears to be dashing the deal struck to help preserve a Democratic majority.

Sen.-elect Pedro Espada Jr. of the Bronx, who had said he was to be majority leader in exchange for supporting Senate Democratic leader Malcolm Smith of Queens, told the New York Times that he’s upset that Smith is reducing the power of the job. As a result, Espada — one of three dissidents who threatened to side with Republicans — told the Times that he won’t support Smith.

“I feel tremendously dismayed and disappointed that the office of the majority leader has been gutted and reduced to a sad joke on all New Yorkers, but particularly the Latino community,” Espada told the newspaper. “And thus I suspend my support for Malcolm Smith as leader.”

That could mean Democrats who won a 32-30 majority in the Nov. 4 elections may not have enough to assemble a majority in January.

“How the office of majority leader is structured is something that will continue to be discussed between Sen. Smith and Sen.-elect Espada,” Smith spokeswoman Juanita Scarlett told The Associated Press.

A week ago, Espada and the other two dissidents announced that they had secured powerful leadership positions and the stipends that go with them in exchange for supporting Smith and securing a Democratic majority.

Espada had appeared to persuade Smith to share power by splitting the positions of majority leader and president pro tem — which is the constitutional head of the Senate.

Smith would be president pro tem under the deal as described by Espada.

But on Monday Smith wouldn’t confirm that the dissidents received the leadership posts. Smith also appointed his longtime No. 2, Sen. Jeffrey Klein of the Bronx, to a position as vice president pro tem, which would appear to put him higher than Espada.

In addition, Sen. William Stachowski of Erie County was appointed deputy majority and said he reports to Smith, not even confirming who would be majority leader.

Espada, a former senator who often sided with Republicans who had held the majority, is contesting city and state allegations over his own campaign financing.

The dissidents’ deal with Smith left rank-and-file Democrats who had been loyal to Smith fuming.

Espada’s concerns after Smith’s comments Monday apparently suspended announcements of committee chairmanships and Espada’s majority leader role scheduled for Wednesday.