Newly appointed First Minister Humza Yousaf faces a tough task in the north and north-east as he picks up where Nicola Sturgeon left off.
Nowhere else in the country are there such burning issues for the incoming first minister than across the north-east, Moray, Highlands and islands.
From infrastructure concerns, to healthcare woes, ferries and the transition away from oil and gas; these areas need the government’s attention.
The Sturgeon era has officially drawn to a close, so can Mr Yousaf re-define the future direction of the SNP?
Dualling and ferries
The SNP promised voters they would dual the A9 and A96 roads more than a decade ago.
But last month, the government admitted the 2025 target date will not be met and a revised timescale is not expected until the autumn.
Drivers are losing their lives on the route as each month passes. More than a dozen people dying in accidents last year alone.
Mr Yousaf says he will demonstrate “urgency” when it comes to dualling the A9 and Highlanders will hold him to his word.
There are also delays and uncertainty surrounding a separate project to dual the A96 between Aberdeen and Inverness by 2030.
A direct consequence of the SNP’s power-sharing deal with the Greens was a commitment to look again at whether it needs fully dualled.
Yet the vast majority of our readers, and businesses, have made clear this needs to happen, saying it “should have been done years ago”.
They will want answers on what will happen to the commitment.
Islanders are also crying out for a new leader to respond to their plight when it comes to the chaos surrounding the ferry system.
The debacle has dragged on for too long, leaving communities at breaking point, and the new first minister has to urgently get a handle on the issue.
Relationship with business
Monday’s leadership result exposed just how tight the outcome was between Mr Yousaf and his closest rival, Kate Forbes.
He was elected with 52% but at 48%, almost half of party members would seem to favour Ms Forbes’ more pro-growth and business-centric agenda.
Delighted to meet @scottishgreens co-leaders @patrickharvie & @lornaslater at St Andrew's House this afternoon where we reaffirmed our support for the Bute House Agreement, which will maintain our pro-independence majority at 🏴 @ScotParl & deliver for the people of Scotland. pic.twitter.com/ZtV5IrZMIg
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 27, 2023
Mr Yousaf has already indicated he intends to maintain the coalition working agreement with the Greens while his two rivals were more critical over the arrangement.
Can the first minister appeal to Ms Forbes’ supporters while working so closely with a party that critics claim are “anti-growth”?
In the north-east, business leaders want a “reset” in the strained relationship between business and government with a “renewed focus” on economic growth and job creation.
Vision for north-east
Mr Yousaf vowed to turn the north-east into a renewable energy “superpower”, following in the footsteps of a promise Ms Sturgeon.
Workers in the region have long heard the rhetoric but the SNP’s new leader must actually provide a tangible plan for making it happen.
Thousands of jobs rely on a transition which is managed properly with the right investment in place before turning off the taps.
There is a big opportunity now to ensure the future prosperity of the region if done right.
But Aberdeen business chiefs said any new SNP leader must end its opposition to new North Sea oil and gas exploration, branding the policy “economic self-sabotage”.
It is unlikely Mr Yousaf would reach more of a nuanced position on this, especially given the presence of Greens in government.
Rural healthcare
The NHS is an area where Mr Yousaf’s own record as health secretary can be held up to close scrutiny.
No one doubts the sustained pressure the health service has been under across Scotland since the Covid pandemic.
But Mr Yousaf has come in for serious criticism for record worst performances in areas such as A&E.
We launched our own data project in August which shows NHS waiting times for key services across Grampian and the Highlands and Islands.
It lays bare the stark reality health boards face in our regions, with fewer operations scheduled and rising waits for treatment.
The incoming first minister has already been urged to deliver consultant-led maternity services at Caithness General Hospital.
Women based in Wick currently have to embark on a 200-mile round trip to Inverness to give birth and receive antenatal care.
And we have reported extensively on the traumatic experiences faced by women since the downgrade of Elgin’s maternity unit at Dr Gray’s Hospital.
The SNP leader will have to appoint a health secretary who can repair the system in remote and rural Scotland, as well as tackle GP shortages.
Conversation