Members of the SNP independence party will vote between March 13 and 27 to appoint the successor to Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, who announced her resignation on Wednesday after eight years in power, he announced on Thursday February 16.
If there are several candidates, the internal ballot will begin on March 13 and close on March 27, said national party secretary Lorna Finn, after a meeting of party officials.
Whoever will be appointed to lead the SNP, the first party in the Scottish Parliament, will then become the new First Minister of Scotland.
Candidates have until February 24 to declare themselves.
No one has done so yet but Health Minister Humza Yousaf could announce his candidacy shortly, according to local media.
Other potential suitors include Nicola Sturgeon's deputy John Swinney, young finance minister Kate Forbes and former MP Angus Robertson.
Whoever wins, he will have the heavy task of taking over from Nicola Sturgeon, who carried the independence cause high, without however bringing it to fruition so far, London refusing the prospect of a new referendum.
Party officials thus decided Thursday evening to postpone a crucial congress on the subject which was to take place in March.
"It would be a mistake to have a newly elected leader tied to a key decision on how we secure democracy in Scotland in the face of continued Westminster intransigence," Finn said
.
More "energy"
Nicola Sturgeon announced her departure, explaining that she no longer had
the "energy"
to play her role.
Long popular, it was recently weakened by a controversial law allowing gender change from the age of 16 and without medical advice.
In the aftermath, the imprisonment in a women's facility of a transgender woman convicted of raping a woman before she transitioned caused outrage, putting her on the defensive.
The First Minister has indicated that she will remain in office until a new leader is appointed and that she will keep her post as a member of the Scottish Parliament until the next election due in 2026.
