Challenger: Swinney

John Swinney, leader of the Scottish National Party, is to challenge Labour's Jack McConnell for the post of Scotland's first minister.

Issuing a six-point manifesto for the post currently held on a temporary basis by Scottish Liberal Democrat leader and deputy first minister Jim Wallace following the resignation of Henry McLeish, Swinney said the "cronyism" of Scottish Labour had to be challenged.

While certain to be defeated in the parliamentary vote on Thursday afternoon, the challenge indicates the SNP's determination to keep up the pressure on Scottish Labour since McLeish was forced to step down in a row over constituency office expenses.

McConnell, who was formally chosen as the Scottish Labour leader on Saturday, has already been forced to admit he lied about an affair with a party officer, while the nationalists and Conservatives have accused Labour of "cronyism" in failing to hold an open leadership election.

Swinney kept up the attack on McConnell on Monday, saying "Jack McConnell has offered no vision, no radical solutions, and no privatisation-free plan for the reform of our public services."

"There is no better time to strike with an alternative set of policy proposals to contrast with the 'more of the same' politics of Scottish Labour. The six-point manifesto I am setting out today locks together the highest ambitions for Scotland in terms of the delivery of decent public services with proper democratic accountability and openness," he added.

Swinney's manifesto includes pledges on reducing NHS waiting times, cutting class sizes, introducing proportional representation in local council elections, and more powers for Scotland over European matters and taxation.

The SNP leader said it was vital for Scotland's new democracy that there should be competition for the post of first minister, saying McConnell has "no legitimate mandate either from his own party or the public.""It would be a very bleak day for democracy if no-one stood in the way of Jack McConnell. Scotland has changed for the better with the introduction of a democratic parliament, but Labour has failed to change with it, and are finding it decidedly difficult to meet the standards our new democracy demands," said Swinney.

The independent MSP Dennis Canavan is also to challenge McConnell and Swinney for the top job in Scottish politics. Speaking to BBC Scotland on Monday, he described the selection of McConnell as a farce which would have "made North Korea proud". David McLetchie, leader of the Scottish Conservatives, is also to challenge for the post.