There was a Scottish National Party leadership election to choose the new leader of the Scottish National Party at the SNP's conference on 14–15 November 2014. The election followed the announcement by SNP Leader and First MinisterAlex Salmond, in the aftermath of the Scottish independence referendum, that he would not seek re-nomination as party leader and would resign as First Minister soon after the SNP elected a new leader. Given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament, the new leader was all but assured of becoming the next First Minister. Nicola Sturgeon, the SNP's deputy leader and the Deputy First Minister, was elected unopposed as his successor.
Sturgeon officially launched her campaign bid to succeed Salmond on 24 September 2014.[4][5] On 15 October 2014, the SNP confirmed that Sturgeon was the only candidate for the leadership, and therefore de facto leader-in-waiting. It had been obvious even before then that no one else would garner enough nominations to make a viable bid for the post.
She was formally acclaimed as the party's first female leader at the SNP Autumn Conference on 14 November 2014.[6] This all but assured her formal election as First Minister on 19 November 2014.
Depute Leadership[]
Three people, Angela Constance,[7]Keith Brown[8] and Stewart Hosie launched bids to succeed Sturgeon as SNP Depute Leader.[8] Constance said that she would not seek to become Deputy First Minister to Sturgeon, even if she was elected Depute Leader.[9] The results were announced at the conference, with Hosie polling 42.2%, Brown on 34.2% and Constance on 23.5% in the first round of the single transferable vote election. In the second round, Hosie was elected after getting 55.5% of votes following the elimination of Constance. The Depute Leadership election had a turnout of 55.7%.[10] With Hosie serving in Westminster, John Swinney was tapped as Deputy First Minister when Sturgeon took office on 19 November.
