THE SNP policy development convener has called for the SNP's special democracy conference to be postponed.
Toni Giugliano told The National that the resolution lodged by the SNP's National Executive Committee (NEC) "no longer holds legitimacy" and it should be "withdrawn, and revised" once a new leader is in place.
He said: “This is a good time for the party to pause, reflect and take stock and allow the next leader to chart a new way forward, post leadership election."
"We need to allow our next leader the time and the space to chart a way forward and therefore, the special conference should be postponed to allow for a leadership election to take place.
"A special conference does need to take place promptly - we can't lose the momentum, energy and contributions that have came from the branches and members."
Giugliano added: “The NEC resolution can no longer stand, in my view. It was put forward by our current leader and as she has reiterated in her own words today that she doesn’t intend to tie her successor to that strategy then we need to give the next leader time and space."
The NEC agreed the wording of a draft resolution in January, to be discussed at its Special Democracy Conference in March.
The preferred option outlined by the First Minister was for the SNP to fight the next General Election as a de facto referendum.
However, an alternative plan has been set out to instead contest the Scottish Parliament election in 2026 on that basis.
Giugliano further stressed: "We must focus our energy now on electing a new leader - and the right leader who can build on Nicola's legacy and secure independence.
"That decision alone is arguably just as important as any strategy we choose to put in place.
"It would be totally unacceptable to agree on a strategy before our next leader is in place - so the focus must now be on running a comprehensive leadership process and hearing from each candidate on their preferred pathway to independence."
A date for the election has not yet been announced. The 2004 election was triggered with the resignation of Swinney on June 24 and concluded on September 3 – just over three months.
The upcoming contest could be expected to last as long. If it does, the SNP’s upcoming special conference to decide the party’s independence strategy would likely be delayed.
