The Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Rumbles is to stand for the Scottish party's leadership.
His move came after Nicol Stephen quit the job late last night, saying it was putting too much stress on his family life. Tavish Scott, the MSP for Shetland, the favourite to replace him.
Stephen, the former deputy first minister who was leader for three years, said he would stay on as MSP for Aberdeen South. The party's deputy leader, Michael Moore MP, is to take charge while a leadership contest is staged.
In his resignation speech, Stephen said: "Everyone involved in politics knows that there are stresses and strains on family life. But when it goes beyond that, when it crosses a line, something has to be done. And at that stage - when you have to make a choice between family and politics - there can only be one answer. The health and wellbeing of your family has got to come first."
Rumbles, MSP for West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, told BBC Scotland he would re-visit Stephen's opposition to a referendum on Scottish independence.
Stephen's predecessor as leader, Lord Wallace, said he had done the "right thing".
"His determination, as party leader, to engage and involve young people and to build up the Party's support from the grassroots, will be a valuable legacy for his successor," added Lord Wallace.
Under party rules, the post of Scottish Lib Dem leader must be filled by an MSP nominated by at least one other. If there is more than one nominee, the winner will be decided by a ballot of party members.
Commenting on Nicol Stephen’s resignation as Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats, Murdo Fraser MSP, Scottish Conservative Deputy Leader, said: “Nicol Stephen is right to prize his family life above his political one and on a personal level we wish him all the best. And whilst he may have had some mild success in the Holyrood Chamber, it is clear that whoever does take on the mantle as Leader of Scotland’s fourth party has an enormous uphill task. The Liberal Democrats are a complete irrelevance in Scottish politics and there is no sign of that changing anytime in the foreseeable future."
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