NICOLA Sturgeon has said she will resign as the First Minister of Scotland, and as leader of the SNP, when a successor is chosen.
Speaking at a last-minute press conference arranged on Wednesday morning, Sturgeon insisted she wouldn't be leaving politics and would continue to champion causes she believes in from Holyrood's backbenches.
The news has sparked speculation about who could lead the SNP in her wake.
A poll over the weekend suggested that the currently on-leave finance secretary Kate Forbes was a frontrunner, as well as Constitution Secretary Angus Robertson.
John Swinney was also ranked highly, but will he fancy a second term at the head of the party?
With the race too close to call, we’re asking National readers: who do you think should take over from Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader?
We've only included the sitting MSPs who ranked highest in the weekend's poll, but please let us know in the comments if you would prefer a different candidate altogether.
