Former SNP leader and First Minister Alex Salmond has announced he is to stand for a seat at Westminster at next May's General Election.
He unveiled his candidacy for his party's nomination in the Gordon constituency at a meeting in Ellon.
The seat is currently held by retiring Lib Dem MP Sir Malcolm Bruce.
Mr Salmond said the north east of Scotland had been his "political home" since he entered representative politics.
He stood down as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister after the "Yes" campaign was defeated in September's independence referendum.
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Alex Salmond: "It's impossible to stand on the sidelines...I am a candidate"
He currently represents the constituency of Aberdeenshire East in the Scottish Parliament.
However, he confirmed his decision to seek election to Westminster when he addressed a meeting in the Gordon constituency.
He said three things had become "self-evident".
Mr Salmond said the Smith Commission had "not measured up to what was promised".
He added that Gordon Brown, "the man who said he would stand guarantor of the vow", had retired from politics.
Thirdly, he said he believed the SNP and "progressive allies" could emerge as a "powerful force" at the UK Parliament.
Mr Salmond said he had no ambition to lead the SNP group at Westminster and would, if elected for a year with a dual mandate, donate one salary to a charity supporting local youth causes.
He also ruled out any potential coalition with the Conservatives after the election.
"We won't have any deal with the Tories - they are not trusted by the people of Scotland" he said.
"Other permutations are possible."
Three challengesMr Salmond also set out "three big local challenges" in health, transport and jobs in the constituency.
He said they had to "rally round" the local NHS under its new leadership, secure "key investments" on routes in the area and encourage local companies to diversify.
In response to Mr Salmond's candidature, Mr Bruce told BBC Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme: "This is not all about Alex Salmond, as he seems to think it is.
"It's about the people of Gordon and how their interests are best served.
"They're not best served by a man whose mission is to disrupt Westminster, to provoke division and to ignore the way the people voted on that issue."
He said he felt that meant Mr Salmond had a "problem to address".
"I've been out and about in the constituency and he's not a popular man," he added.
The Lib Dems' candidate for the constituency, Christine Jardine, said she intended to be a "strong voice for all the people of Gordon".
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