Nicola Sturgeon has said the SNP needs to put aside internal disputes and "focus on what matters to people" ahead of next year's Holyrood elections.
The First Minister said the party was in a "position of strength" going into the 2021 elections, but stressed in-fighting would be a put off for voters.
In an interview with BBC Scotland, she said: "The SNP is in a position of strength and we've got as a party to recognise that we don't exist in some kind of bubble.
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"Right now the majority of the people in the country we serve are worried about their health and they're worried about their ability to pay their bills.
"Opinion polls would suggest they massively trust the SNP to lead them through that crisis.
"If they ever thought the SNP was turning away from that priority and focusing on its own agendas and engaging in infighting I'm sure they would pass a verdict on that."
In recent weeks, there has been controversy surrounding the way in which the SNP chooses its candidates, as well as the prospect of a rival pro-independence party.
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But Ms Sturgeon insisted the party needed to "focus on what matters to people out there" and move away from "internal disputes, feuds or personality clashes".
She also said independence supports could be "safely assured" there would be a commitment to a second independence referendum in the SNP's Holyrood manifesto next year.
Ms Sturgeon said she would srve the full term if elected first minister, and said it was "bonkers" to suggest she did not want to see Scotland become independent.
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