KATE Forbes has hit back at claims made by Humza Yousaf that MSPs may block her from becoming First Minister if she is elected leader of the SNP.
The finance secretary was responding to remarks made by Mr Yousaf at the party's final hustings in Aberdeen yesterday.
She said the Scottish public would be angered if any parties tried to "play political games" and did not back the First Minister.
"It's for other parties to determine what they do, but I think they would earn the wrath of the Scottish people if they stood in the way of a new First Minister getting to grips with the big issues that face the people of Scotland," she said.
READ MORE: SNP race sliding into 'paranoia and mistrust' amid vote rigging row
"I think the people of Scotland would get pretty cheesed off and pretty fed up if in the grip of the cost of living crisis, when waiting times in our NHS are too long that they are seeing politicians playing games and not getting behind the new First Minister.
"To my mind we are accountable to the people of Scotland, to our communities. We know their priorities. All the polling suggests what their priorities are. I think they want to find someone who will get on with the act of governing and delivering results on these core issues."
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Asked by The Herald she thought Mr Yousaf was scaremongering by making such remarks at the hustings or that that Greens would indeed block her becoming FM if they don't agree with her policies, she said: "It's not for me to speak for other parties. I can only speak for the SNP and I know that SNP members are elected to accountable to the SNP as well as accountable to the public.
"I will be honouring and respecting the outcome of this democratic process whichever way it goes and I think the expectation on other SNP elected members is to do the same."
READ MORE: Poll shows Forbes is public's choice for FM but support falls for SNP
Mr Yousaf told the Aberdeen hustings that if one of his rivals won the SNP leadership contest and then tried to end or revise the deal with the Scottish Greens they may not get to become First Minister.
Both Ms Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan have suggested they may want to review certain areas of the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens.
Ms Forbes has said economic prosperity (the Greens do not support the principle of economic growth, which is excluded from the shared policy areas in the deal) may be one area that would have to be reviewed.
The deal was signed in August 2021 and saw the Greens join the government with two ministerial roles in return for supporting the SNP on key votes in Holyrood such as the Budget and confidence votes.
READ MORE: Yousaf claim at final SNP hustings over FM nomination raises eyebrows
Throughout his campaign Mr Yousaf has warned of what he believes are the consequences for smooth government of the deal breaking down.
But during the Aberdeen hustings he went further suggesting if the Greens walked away from the agreement, the winner of the SNP contest may struggle to get parliament's backing to become FM.
"Can you imagine trying to pass legislation or budget after budget relying on Douglas Ross or Anas Sarwar. You are right to laugh because it's preposterous," he told SNP members.
"You would not get far at all. Truly presenting ourselves as a unifier, the first thing you can't do is then reject the second largest pro-independence party in the country. You can't do it. So for me this idea you can go in and negotiate and rip it up or set the terms. 95 per cent of our membership endorsed it. So we should listen to that membership.
"If we go in there and demand that we unpick the deal, I am telling you what the response from the Greens is likely to be. And then you have to remember the very first thing we have to do is on Monday 27 [March] you will know who your next...party leader is."
He added: "On the Tuesday the parliament will have to vote for them. If you boot out the Greens - good luck. Good luck on getting yourself nominated as First Minister."
Ms Forbes responded to Mr Yousaf's comments at an event in Glasgow today when she committed to be “a First Minister for all” after pledging her full support for Scotland’s minority groups.
She made the remarks as she met with representatives from the Empower Women for Change organisation in the city centre.
The group, led by founder and CEO Asma Abdalla, discussed the empowerment and advancement of women’s rights, and particularly active participation in civil, economic and political life.
Ms Forbes said: “I am running to serve as a First Minister for all. Scotland’s communities are diverse and we are all richer for it. Scotland needs to be welcoming to all, including for ethnic minorities.
“We know that we need to do more to support women in particular, and how to support them to participate fully in Scotland. That includes empowering women to access secure, well-paid employment as well as being fully represented in political life.
“So often women hold families, and therefore communities together. They have so much to offer Scotland, and politicians need to break down barriers that prevent them from participating in economic and political spheres.”
Speaking to journalists after meeting with women from ethnic minority backgrounds she said she would ensure her own Cabinet was gender balanced if she became First Minister.
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