John Swinney has warned opposition parties that they could suffer at the ballot box if they block Scottish Government Bills “for no good reason.”
Writing exclusively for The Herald on Sunday, the new First Minister said voters wanted their representatives to “provide solutions” rather than be “obstructionist.”
The SNP is now governing as a minority after Humza Yousaf scrapped their power-sharing agreement with the Greens.
That decision ultimately triggered his resignation.
READ MORE: John Swinney's column: 'Our parliament is not performing as it should be'
Mr Swinney, who was sworn in as Scotland’s seventh First Minister on Wednesday, has already told MSPs that his government will need to “reach out to others” to help get budgets and legislation through Holyrood.
Last Thursday, the Greens made clear he would not be able to automatically rely on their support.
They, along with the Conservatives and Labour voted against the appointment of Kate Forbes as Deputy First Minister.
However, the Lib Dems abstained on the vote.
It is understood that was partly because Mr Swinney indicated that he would be willing to talk to Willie Rennie about support for flood victims in Cupar.
Had they voted against Ms Forbes's appointment, the new First Minister could have been defeated in one of his first Holyrood votes.
In his column, Mr Swinney said that as the 25-year-old parliament started a “new chapter” he believed it was “not performing as it should be.”
“The time I have spent away from frontline politics has afforded me a new perspective. One of the reasons I decided to return is my concern at the increasing polarisation in politics.
“In any healthy democracy, there is going to be lively debate. But division need not – and should not - lead to acrimony.”
The First Minister added that under his leadership, his government would seek to work with others. He suggested it would be in the best interests of those others to work with his government.
“I know more than most about minority governments, having served in key cabinet roles after the 2007 and the 2016 elections – and perhaps I can offer a cautionary tale to opposition parties.
“In both those terms, the SNP worked tirelessly – and in good faith – to build bridges across the political spectrum in the interests of the people of Scotland.
“In doing so, we delivered many of our biggest successes, including the creation of a social security agency.
“However, there were also many occasions in which the opposition blocked for no good reason, such as blocking the first attempt to bring in minimum pricing for alcohol.
“At the end of both those minority terms, voters rewarded the SNP with landslide election victories – and severely punished those opposition parties they had seen to be obstructionist.
“That should be a lesson to all of us.”
READ MORE: Greens in warning to FM over failure on gender law advance
The First Minister said times were tough for people and businesses across Scotland and they were “looking to their political representatives to provide solutions.”
The Greens have already told Mr Swinney that their support for his government will depend on the progress of "important policies already on their way to delivery as a result of the Bute House Agreement."
These include the Housing (Scotland) Bill, which will bring in private rent controls, strict new rules on how Scottish homes are heated and a "watertight" ban on conversion therapy.
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