Nicola Sturgeon has said she will personally lead the SNP's negotiating team in any discussions on forming a new coalition government in the UK after the general election in May, even though she is not standing for Westminster.
The Scottish First Minister suggested there would be only a fairly limited role for her predecessor, Alex Salmond - despite the fact that he is hoping to return to Westminster as an MP and remains the party's best known and most experienced figure.
Appearing alongside SNP deputy leader Stewart Hosie at a briefing for Westminster journalists, she said that they would "lead the position" in any talks with other parties in the event of another hung parliament.
Asked who would lead the negotiations, she replied: "Me", before adding after a short pause: "With Stewart by my side, I hasten to add".
Pressed on what role Mr Salmond might play, she said: "If Alex is elected - as I would be fairly confident in predicting he will be - then Alex will be a key part of the team in Westminster and, of course, will have a part to play.
"But I am the party leader, Stewart is the deputy of leader of the party, and we will lead the position."
With the polls suggesting the SNP could be the third largest party at Westminster following the election, Ms Sturgeon again ruled out any arrangement with the Conservatives.
She also made clear that she was "not that instinctively enthusiastic" about the prospect of a formal coalition with Labour, suggesting she would prefer an "issue by issue, case by case arrangement".
She confirmed that if a new government wanted to hold a referendum on the UK's membership of the EU, the SNP would seek to amend the legislation to require each of the four nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - to vote separately to leave, before the UK as a whole could exit.
"Quite simply, exiting the EU threatens Scotland's economic success, anti-poverty initiatives, and the social and cultural benefits of being a nation in Europe," she said.
"This proposal transforms the nature of the debate in the UK about Europe - and the SNP's election campaign will put the jobs and investment we gain from our EU membership at its heart."
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