Janece Mitchell, Scottish Reporter
New SNP leader John Swinney (see previous post) will need parliamentary approval to replace Humza Yousaf as prime minister.
The timing will be determined by the Congressional Bureau, and could happen as early as Tuesday.
After the king accepts his resignation, parliament will have 28 days to nominate Yousaf’s successor.
The SNP is by far the largest party in Holyrood, so the onus is on it to find a new leader who can work with other parties in a minority government.
The SNP has 63 MSPs, just short of a majority in the 129-seat parliament, and for him to win he will need to persuade politicians from other parties to vote for him or at least abstain. There is a need to. .
Are there any potential obstacles?
Leaders of other political parties can also come forward and MSPs can nominate a candidate, but that candidate must be sponsored by another MP.
If that happens, the candidate who receives a majority of all votes will win the nomination.
If no one reaches that threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated and the process repeats until the candidates are narrowed down to two.
At that point, all a candidate needs is a simple majority to win.
The person who wins the vote will be officially appointed by the King.
A formal swearing-in ceremony will then take place at Edinburgh Court of Session.
However, if a new First Minister is not elected within 28 days, the Scottish Parliament will be forced to hold a snap general election.
