LONDON
Scottish National Party (SNP) Deputy Leader Nicola Sturgeon is to take over from Alex Salmond as Scotland's first minister when he steps down at the party conference next month.
Sturgeon will become the first female first minister after the Scottish parliament, where the SNP have a majority, approves her selection.
The selection comes after Wednesday's deadline passed with Sturgeon the only candidate to put her name forward.
Alex Salmond resigned last month following the party's failure to win independence from the United Kingdom. Scots voted to stay in the union by 55 percent while 45 percent voted for independence.
Sturgeon has served as deputy leader of the party for seven years.
She launched her bid to become leader last month saying, "I am putting myself forward for two simple reasons: I want to serve my party and my country.”
She added that she was “more convinced than ever” that Scotland will one day be independent and ruled out the possibility of a referendum being a part of the SNP manifesto.
“If there is a commitment to a referendum in a manifesto of the SNP at an election, and we win that election, then that is a mandate for a referendum,” she said speaking in Glasgow.
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