Humza Yousaf is considering resigning as Scotland's First Minister rather than face two votes of confidence, BBC News has learned.
A source close to Youssef said that resignation is now an option, but the final decision has not been taken yet.
“The clock is turning down,” the source told the BBC on Sunday evening.
Youssef faces a struggle to stay as First Minister after the sudden termination of the power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party and the Scottish Greens last Thursday.
- author, James Cook
- Role, BBC Scotland editor
It is understood he has ruled out a deal with Alex Salmond's ALBA party, and the likelihood of him surviving a vote of no confidence in his leadership now depends on the Scottish Greens.
He needs the support of at least one opposition member of Holyrood to survive the vote, which could take place as early as Wednesday.
The parliamentary bureau, made up of the president and MSP members from the main parties, will decide this week when the vote will be held and usually gives two days' notice.
The abandonment of the deal with the Green Party, known as the Boathouse Agreement, sparked an angry reaction from his former partners in government.
He now faces two motions of no confidence this week, one brought forward by the Scottish Conservatives in his leadership as First Minister and another by Scottish Labor that would force his entire government to resign.
The Green Party is scheduled to meet later on Monday but they have repeatedly ruled out supporting him in an in-person vote.
The Scottish Conservatives, Labor and Liberal Democrats have already said they will vote against it.
If nothing changes, that leaves the First Minister with the choice of being defeated in a vote of confidence or resigning in advance.
The SNP has 63 members in the 129-seat Parliament, so if the seven Green MSPs vote against it, it will rely on the support of Alba's lone MSP Ash Regan to continue his role.
This would result in a tied vote of 64:64 in which case the president would be expected to vote to maintain the status quo.
The motion of no confidence in him personally is not binding, but if he loses he will be under intense pressure to step down.
If he loses the government vote, members of the LGBT community will have 28 days to vote for a new First Minister or an automatic Scottish parliamentary election will be held.
ALBA, a rival pro-independence party led by former First Minister Alex Salmond, sets out a list of demands that might convince Reagan to support the First Minister.
At an emergency meeting on Sunday, Alba's board formally approved Mrs. Reagan's plan to pursue issues of independence, “women's rights” and “restoring competent government” in any negotiations.
Salmond told BBC News he was also looking to move away from “culture wars” and shift towards “people's priorities”, which he said were health, housing, transport, education and the economy.
He said he expected Mrs. Reagan to hold talks with Youssef in the coming days.
But the agreement with Salmond's party is opposed by many within the SNP, and could lead to further internal divisions.
A source close to Youssef told the BBC on Sunday evening that “there will be no agreement” with Alba.
The Scottish Government has not confirmed a date for any meetings with opposition figures or even that they will definitely go ahead.
Weakness of power
Two Scottish National Party MPs, Stuart Macdonald and Pete Wishart, have publicly expressed their opposition to the idea of reaching a deal with Alba.
A senior SNP figure told BBC News it would be unacceptable for any SNP leader to be beholden to Salmond, whose departure from the party he twice led is a source of bitterness all round.
Even if he manages to survive a vote of no confidence, Youssef's authority will be severely weakened.
In other words, even if Youssef were able to remain in office with the support of members of the LGBT movement as well as Mrs. Reagan, without votes from elsewhere in the House, he would struggle to govern.
The BBC understands that talks took place between the Scottish National Party leadership and the Green Party leadership over the weekend, but they did not change the Green Party's position.
Nor did the SNP's former Westminster leader, Ian Blackford, apologize to them on the BBC's Sunday program with Laura Kuenssberg.
Co-leader Lorna Slater, who was sacked, along with Patrick Harvey, as a minister in Yusuf's government in a brief and “very robust” meeting at the First Minister's official residence, Bute House, early on Thursday morning, told the BBC's Sunday Show C Scotland said the First Minister had “lost our trust and confidence”.
She added: “I can't imagine anything at this point that could change this situation.”
The Green Party is scheduled to meet on Monday to decide whether or not to accept Youssef's invitation to attend a meeting.
They were due to meet next month to decide whether or not to continue with the power-sharing deal with the SNP after discontent among members over changes to gender healthcare and abandoning a key climate change target.
Critics of the Green Party's approach to this and other issues include Kate Forbes, the former finance minister, a social conservative who came close to defeating Youssef in the leadership contest last year and could run again if he steps down.
Ms Forbes insisted this week She was supporting Mr. Youssef But she used language similar to Salmond's about “returning to the people's priorities”, such as creating wealth, improving education and reforming healthcare.
However, these positions are deeply unpopular within the progressive wing of the SNP, and she may find it difficult to unite the party and run a minority government, especially if she relies on the Greens for support.
Other names being floated as possible replacements for Mr Youssef include Education Secretary Jenny Gilruth, Culture Secretary Angus Robertson, Health Secretary Neil Gray and Economy Minister Mairi McAllan.
With the Greens seemingly standing still, and the SNP leadership reluctant to engage with Alba, Youssef may resign rather than suffer the humiliation of losing a confidence vote.
A source close to the Prime Minister said that it appears that the end of his term in office is approaching, and that by dismissing the Green Party, he has gambled and lost.
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