Scottish National Party leadership election, 2014

Scottish National Party leadership election, 2014

14-15 November

Candidate Nicola Sturgeon Votes Elected unopposed

Leader before election Alex Salmond Elected Leader Nicola Sturgeon

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 Minister Alex 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 elects a new leader.

SNP depute leader and Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon was widely tipped as the favourite to succeed Salmond after the election.^[1] She was backed by a number of Scottish government ministers, including Alex Neil and Humza Yousaf,^[2] and former SNP leader Gordon Wilson.^[3]

Sturgeon officially launched her campaign bid to succeed Salmond on 24 September 2014.^[4][5] On launching her bid, Sturgeon highlighted in a confident speech that she "is the best person for the job" and wants to serve "my party and my country".^[6] On 15 October 2014, the SNP confirmed that Nicola Sturgeon was the only candidate for leadership, and therefore de facto leader-in-waiting.

She was formally acclaimed as the party's first female leader at the SNP Autumn Conference on 14 November 2014. ^[7] Given the SNP's absolute majority in the Scottish Parliament, this all but assured that Sturgeon would become First Minister. As expected, she was formally elected as First Minister on 19 November 2014.

Three SNP ministers, Angela Constance,^[8] Keith Brown^[9] and Stewart Hosie launched bids to succeed Sturgeon as SNP Depute Leader.^[9] Constance said that she would not seek to become Deputy First Minister to Sturgeon, even if she was elected Depute Leader.^[10] 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. Turnout was 55% of SNP members.^[11]

References