Humza Yousaf’s quit. What happens next?

After days of speculation over whether the first minister would be able to survive a no-confidence vote, Humza Yousaf has resigned.

That means the SNP is on the hunt for a new leader, just 13 months and four days after electing the last one.

There’s also still the question of those two motions of no confidence – one in Yousaf himself and one in the overall government – which were set to be scheduled this week.

It’s set to be yet another busy week in Scottish politics. Here’s what we know.

How on earth did we get here?

Yousaf announced last Thursday that he was scrapping the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens. In doing so, he lost a majority in the Scottish Parliament.

The Greens reacted furiously, accusing the first minister of being “weak and thoroughly hopeless”.

Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross used this opportunity to table a motion of no confidence in Yousaf and later received the backing of Labour, the Lib Dems and – crucially – the Greens.

Yousaf’s last hope was some kind of pact with Alba’s Ash Regan, but ultimately he decided against that option and this morning announced his resignation.

How will a new leader be chosen?

The SNP’s ruling National Executive Committee will meet this week to decide the exact process for electing a new leader.

The constitution says it should take 133 days – meaning a  new leader wouldn’t be in place until September – but it is highly likely the party will choose to shorten that process. Last year’s took place in six weeks.

Who is running?

Over the coming days, contenders will throw their hat into the ring and rule themselves out.

Former deputy first minister John Swinney is considering running, and indeed has been urged to do so by several MSPs. He’s considered a safe pair of hands and the assumption is he’d essentially be a caretaker FM until after the next scheduled Holyrood election in 2026.

Kate Forbes ran against Yousaf last year and may consider doing so again. However, she came under fire for some of her socially conservative views and it seems unlikely the Greens – who have opened the door to voting for a future first minister “who shares our progressive values” – would back her. Any first minister must be elected by a simple majority at parliament. Forbes would likely have to convince at least one opposition party to abstain.

Health secretary Neil Gray and education secretary Jenny Gilruth had also been tipped, but both have thrown their weight behind Swinney.

What’s all this about 28 days?

The 28-day rule is a mechanism in the Scotland Act that triggers a Scottish Parliament election. But that timer only starts once the position of first minister is vacated.

Yousaf’s plan is to remain the first minister until his successor is chosen. This is what Nicola Sturgeon did last year – she only formally resign on 28 March, the day after Yousaf became SNP leader.

However, that timer could still be started if MSPs decide they have no confidence in the Scottish Government.

So what’s happening with the VONCs?

Scottish Labour still intends to push its motion of no confidence in the government. Tabled last week by leader Anas Sarwar, it would have the backing of Tory and Lib Dem MSPs.

But the Scottish Greens have always been clear that their issue is with Yousaf, whom they said they can no longer trust. With him out of the way, the Greens have signaled they will not back the motion so it is likely to fail.

If it were to happen, it would force Yousaf and the rest of the cabinet to resign immediately. This would start that 28-day timer – meaning the SNP would have to act quickly to get a new leader in place.

The Scottish Tory motion of no confidence in Yousaf is still “on the table”, leader Douglas Ross has said. But parliamentary business managers – who meet on Tuesday – may decide not to schedule it in light of the resignation.