Scottish Labour must change its "backroom culture" and embrace openness and accountability in the aftermath of Mr Henry McLeish's resignation as First Minister, the Scottish National Party said yesterday.
As possible contenders lined up for the succession battle, the leader of the SNP, Mr John Swinney, said the first test for the Labour Party would be the election of its new leader and putative First Minister.
"We will see in the leadership contest whether New Labour are prepared to submit themselves to proper democratic scrutiny," he said.
He added: "For the good of Scottish democracy there must be no backroom deals to impose the candidate who is most acceptable to the London Labour hierarchy."
Mr Swinney reminded Labour that the Scottish Parliament would decide the election of a First Minister - Scotland's third in as many years - after the completion within 28 days of Labour's electoral college process to replace Mr McLeish.
Mr John McAllion, MSP for Dundee East, confirmed he would be prepared to run for leader if asked to do so by the left-wing Campaign for Socialism.
However, the Blairite Education Minister, Mr Jack McConnell, was immediately installed as the bookmakers favourite to win at 1/3 on.
A former general secretary of the Labour Party in Scotland, the ambitious Mr McConnell's "elbows" are said to have made him many enemies as well as friends, and a "stop Jack" candidate is widely expected to enter the fray.
One possible runner is the current Enterprise Minister, Ms Wendy Alexander, a noted ally of the dominant and influential Chancellor, Mr Gordon Brown, to who the Prime Minister, Mr Blair, is said to defer in matters Scottish.
Mr Brown and Mr McConnell are not allies, and the Chancellor is credited with having stopped Mr McConnell's bid against Mr McLeish in the leadership contest in October last year following the death of Mr Donald Dewar.
However, it was reported yesterday that, despite his past sponsorship, Mr Brown may have been influential in helping Mr McLeish come to his decision to resign over the "Officegate" scandal on Thursday.
There was also speculation that Mr McLeish finally decided to fall on his sword as new information started to emerge about the sub-letting of his constituency office to yet another organisation following his insistence earlier in the week that he had disclosed the full facts about his office expenses.
Labour's Scottish Executive will decide the timetable for the electoral college process at a meeting in Stirling today.