SNP leadership race: John Swinney new party leader and is now set to become Scottish first minister
Mr Swinney, who was SNP leader between 2000 and 2004, said he was "deeply honoured" to take on the role and his appointment was "the beginning of a new chapter" for the party.
Monday 6 May 2024 17:40, UK
New SNP leader John Swinney has promised a "new chapter" as he admitted his party has been through a "rough time recently".
Mr Swinney has replaced Humza Yousaf and could become Scotland's seventh first minister as early as Tuesday.
The SNP leadership nominations closed at 12pm on Monday, with the party confirming Mr Swinney was the sole nominee.
Mr Swinney, who was SNP leader between 2000 and 2004, said he was "deeply honoured" to take on the role and his appointment was "the beginning of a new chapter" for the party.
While he said the SNP has "faced a rough time recently as a party", he insisted: "Now, I know there's some controversy that I'm the only candidate to stand for the leadership.
"Perhaps, not surprisingly, I take a very different view from that. For me, the fact that I am the only candidate demonstrates that the Scottish National Party is coming back together again now.
"I promised that I would create an inclusive and unified team. And I will do that.
"I promised I would enable open and respectful dialogue in the SNP. And I will do that.
"I promised to make sure that the SNP looks outward to the people of our country and not inward amongst ourselves. And I will do that."
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Who is John Swinney?
Mr Swinney believes Scotland "could do more" with the powers of an independent nation.
He said: "I will always seek, with respect and courtesy, to persuade people of the case for independence.
"All I ask of those who oppose that vision is that they also act with the same courtesy and respect.
"That means independence is not a reason for them to refuse to work with us to build the economy, to support jobs and to improve the health service.
"So to everyone in every party, to every MSP, to every MP. In fact, to everyone in our great country, I say this: Join me."
The former deputy first minister, who served under close ally Nicola Sturgeon, emerged as a frontrunner following Mr Yousaf's resignation last week.
Mr Yousaf had been forced to step down in the face of two after terminating the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.
Former finance secretary Kate Forbes had been tipped to join Mr Swinney, but later announced she would not stand and instead threw her support behind him.
Mr Swinney has said he would want Ms Forbes to "play a significant part" in his government if elected as first minister.
Potential challenger Graeme McCormick also withdrew his bid at the 11th hour.
The veteran SNP activist claimed he had secured the 100 nominations from 20 branches needed to enter the contest but backed out of the campaign on Sunday evening after a "lengthy and fruitful conversation" with Mr Swinney.
Mr Yousaf has since congratulated Mr Swinney on his win and thanked all those who have shown him support over the last year.
The outgoing first minister said: "It's now time for every single SNP member to get right behind John Swinney. Get behind his message to be united, united for independence.
"And be in no doubt, although I'm no longer party leader, I'll certainly be alongside you every single step of the way on our journey towards independence.
"John, you've been a fantastic friend over the years. You can continue to count, of course, on my friendship and my full support, be it from the backbenches."
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Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross congratulated Mr Swinney on becoming SNP leader for a second time, but urged him to abandon his "relentless push for independence".
Mr Ross added: "It's difficult to see how he can be the fresh start Scotland needs when he's the ultimate continuity candidate."
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar branded Mr Swinney's win as a "stitch-up by a chaotic and dysfunctional party that is more interested in protecting its own interests than serving the interests of the people of Scotland".
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Patrick Harvie, Scottish Greens co-leader, said Scotland "needs a period of stable government".
He added: "Mr Swinney knows that if he is to have our support then it must be on the basis of progressive policies that help us to tackle the climate crisis and build a fairer and more equal future."
Mr Harvie said his party remains "utterly committed" to the policies delivered as a result of the Bute House Agreement and will "oppose any move away from them or steps to dilute them".
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Mr Swinney is now clear to take over as SNP leader, but will need to seek parliamentary approval to succeed Mr Yousaf as first minister.
The timing is decided by the parliamentary bureau, and could take place as early as Tuesday.
The parliament will have 28 days to nominate a replacement for Mr Yousaf once his resignation has been accepted by the King.
As the SNP is comfortably the largest party in Holyrood, the onus is on the party to find a new leader who can work with other parties in a minority government.
The SNP's tally of 63 MSPs leaves them just short of a majority in the 129-member parliament, meaning politicians from other parties would need to be persuaded to either vote for Mr Swinney, or at least abstain in the ballot, for the party to be successful.
The leaders from other political parties can also put themselves forward and MSPs can nominate a candidate, although it must be seconded by another member.
If that happens, any candidate that secures more than half of all votes will win the nomination.
If no one reaches that threshold, the candidate with the fewest votes will be eliminated - with the process repeated until the candidates are whittled down to two.
At that point, a candidate will only require a simple majority to win.