The creation of a new pro-independence party in Scotland could weaken the Scots’ push for independence by exposing growing fissures within secessionist camps regarding referendum strategies. In recent days, several members of Scotland's governing Scottish National Party (SNP) have left the party to work on creating a new pro-independence group, the Alliance for Independence (AFI). Scotland must hold a parliamentary election by May 2021, which suggests that the new party wants enough time to prepare for it. The official reason for AFI's creation is that two pro-independence parties stand a better chance of taking advantage of Scotland's electoral system and appointing a higher number of secessionist members of the Scottish parliament. But the schism can also be connected to political disputes between the SNP's current leader, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, and former SNP leader Alex Salmond.