By Steve Bargeton, political editor

ROSEANNA Cunningham, who until yesterday had been the frontrunner to lead the SNP, said last night she was confident of victory over Mr Salmond.

“Through the twists and turns of speculation over who might or might not stand, my approach to this contest has been direct,” she said.

“I was the first to announce my candidacy, the first to lodge my nomination papers and I believe I will be in first place when the ballot papers are counted.

“My decision to stand was my own, I seek no endorsement other than that of the party at large.

“I firmly believe that I am the person best placed to unite the party and to take us forward, to secure independence for our country.”

The other leadership contender, Mike Russell, said he was surprised Mr Salmond had decided to throw his hat in the ring at the last minute, but said he relished the prospect of an open debate on the future of the party.

Nicola Sturgeon, who agreed to stand down in favour of Mr Salmond on Tuesday, said, “I am pleased that Alex Salmond is offering himself as SNP leader. His prescription for success is in tune with my own ideas for the future of the SNP.

“And given that the next big challenge for the party is a Westminster election, it makes sense for Alex to lead us into that election and then focus on returning to Holyrood in 2007 as first minister.”

Kenny MacAskill said, “In the light of Alex’s announcement that he will bid to be SNP leader, I have decided not to seek election as deputy leader of the SNP.

“I will give my support to Alex and Nicola in their campaigns.

“The leadership of the SNP is not about personal ambition. My ambition is for the future of the SNP and for the future of Scotland.”

Labour’s deputy leader and justice minister Cathy Jamieson attacked Mr Salmond’s decision to renege on his pledge not to stand.

“Clearly Alex Salmond agrees with me that there is no talent on the SNP benches in Holyrood,” she said.

“This is not only an insult to Roseanna Cunningham but also to Nicola Sturgeon who, until recently, was thought to be Salmond’s favoured choice.

“This is a man who not only takes his party for granted but has consistently taken the people of Scotland for granted. He believes he can skip from parliament to parliament, saying one thing, but doing another.

“And now he has misled them about his intention to stand.

“How can you trust a man who changes his mind this often?

“Compared with Labour, Alex Salmond’s performance at elections was no different from John Swinney’s.”

A Scottish Tory spokes- man said, “Alex Salmond obviously holds the other contenders in extremely high regard if he feels the need to enter the fray.

“But we must not forget that Alex Salmond is the man who made the SNP all it is today and he positioned them as a self-proclaimed left of centre party—just like Labour and the Lib Dems.

“As we all know, it is the policies of the SNP, not the personalities that are the problem.”

And Scottish Liberal Democrat MSP Nora Radcliffe said, “Throughout the 1990s the SNP were a one-man band—it seems that nothing has changed.”