Scotland:SNP leader Alex Salmond expects to become Scotland's first nationalist first minister next Wednesday - but as head of a minority administration rather than a power-sharing coalition in the Holyrood parliament.
Mr Salmond scored a huge personal victory in last week's landmark elections, presiding over Labour's first defeat in Scotland for more than 50 years, albeit with a bare one-seat majority.
However Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen has confounded Mr Salmond's plans to construct a "coalition of the progressive forces" - a tripartite arrangement in which the SNP leader had hoped the Scottish Greens would also participate.
The Liberal Democrats have refused even to discuss a joint programme of government unless the nationalists drop their commitment to a referendum on Scottish independence during the life of the parliament. And as they unveiled details of their proposed working agreement with the Scottish Greens yesterday, SNP sources confirmed that Mr Salmond was now resigned to running a minority government.
With a SNP/Lib Dem coalition ruled out, it seems the Conservatives will now facilitate the next steps in the new parliament by providing a candidate - thought likely to be MSP Alex Fergusson - for the role of presiding officer to be elected on Monday.
Officials at Holyrood confirmed that, while discussions between the business managers were continuing, Wednesday is the likely day for the election of first minister - with the possibility remaining that Labour leader Jack McConnell could put himself forward for re-election.
Mr McConnell has not yet moved out of the first minister's residence at Bute House in Edinburgh, and rejects Mr Salmond's assertion that Labour lost the "moral authority" to govern in last week's poll - given that there were unionist majorities in two- thirds of the seats.
With the Lib Dems seemingly intent on rebuilding from the backbenches and no possibility of a deal with Tories, the expectation is that Mr McConnell will be forced to relinquish power in the coming week - although how much real power Mr Salmond will have remains to be seen.