SNP MSP Kevin Stewart has announced he will quit Holyrood following the May election, with Jack Middleton among the candidates to take his place.
Veteran Mr Stewart, who represents Aberdeen Central, took the decision to stand down as an MSP following a period of ill health.
In a letter to First Minister John Swinney announcing his decision, Mr Stewart said: “I am so very honoured to and humbled to have been given the opportunity to represent Aberdonians in one way shape of form for nearly 27 years, firstly on the council, then in parliament and also as a minister.”
And Swinney's special advisor Jack Middleton, The National reports, has thrown his hat in the ring to be nominated as the party's Aberdeen Central candidate for the May election.
Mr Middleton said: "We need new energy, and fresh voices, that will really connect with people if we're going to close the gap between support for independence and support for the SNP.
"Party members in Aberdeen Central deserve an Aberdonian candidate who is obsessed with independence - just like Kevin."