Nicola Sturgeon to become Scotland's first minister

Nicola Sturgeon is to become the leader of the Scottish National Party and the first minister of Scotland after being the only person nominated to succeed former leader Alex Salmond.

Sturgeon is currently the SNP's deputy leader and was widely seen as having been a powerful advocate for the Yes campaign in the lead up to last month's independence referendum.

Sturgeon will become the country's first female first minister after being the only person to have put her name forward as a candidate ahead of Wednesday's 9am deadline.

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The leadership change will be announced officially at the SNP's conference in mid-November.

SNP business convener Derek Mackay said he was "delighted" at the news of Sturgeon's role: "She will be a fantastic new leader of both the party and our country. She will build on the substantial legacy and extraordinary achievements of Alex Salmond as the longest serving first minister, and make her own mark as she leads Scotland forward."

Three candidates put their names forward to replace Sturgeon as deputy leader. Scottish transport minister Keith Brown "is seen as a front runner in that contest", the BBC says. Brown will compete for the position with youth employment secretary Angela Constance and SNP Treasury spokesman Stewart Hosie.

John Swinney, Scotland's finance minister, who was also SNP leader between 2000 and 2004, also welcomed Nicola Sturgeon's unopposed election.

According to a profile in The Guardian, Sturgeon is known to be to the left of Alex Salmond. She is also regarded as "the only person in cabinet who can disagree with him and get away with it", the paper says.

Political advisor Adam Tomkins said that the incoming first minister could come to change the face of Scottish politics: "There are two divisions in Scottish politics: unionist/nationalist and left/right, which don't run in parallel at the moment," Tomkins says. "She will pull the political centre of gravity of the SNP to the centre left, and the geographical centre away from Aberdeen and Perth, to Glasgow."

According to the Guardian, if she stays in power, Sturgeon may attempt to mount another independence referendum a decade from now; one that she could conceivably win.