The contenders for the Scottish Labour leadership have both vowed to reform the party as they prepare for ballots to be sent out this week.
Kezia Dugdale or Ken Macintosh will take over the post vacated by Jim Murphy in the wake of the party’s devastating defeat in Scotland in the general election.
Glasgow City Council leader Gordon Matheson and MSPs Alex Rowley and Richard Baker are standing for deputy.
Unlike previous Scottish Labour leadership contests, it will be a one member one vote ballot, while non-members can register as supporters for £3, allowing them to take part.
Ms Dugdale is favourite to win the election and has said the party “must prove that we are as ambitious as the people of Scotland”.
Eastwood MSP Mr Macintosh said Scottish Labour should define itself with a “positive vision for Scotland’s future and not by opposition to the SNP”.
The two leadership contenders will go head-to-head in a live TV debate on the BBC later this month and the election results will be announced on August 15.
Ms Dugdale said: “I am honoured to have received the backing of the overwhelming majority of local parties, trade unions and elected representatives who have nominated a candidate. The task in the weeks ahead is to convert that support into votes.
“When people start to make their choice this week they have a chance to vote for a fresh start. There’s a clear choice in this leadership contest – business as usual or a new generation without the baggage of the past.
“We need to catch up with the people of Scotland or risk getting left behind for good. People in Scotland are ambitious – for themselves, their family and their community. The Labour Party must prove that we are as ambitious as the people of Scotland.
“In the recent past we haven’t looked like a party that wanted people to get on. Under my leadership that will change.”
She added that Scottish Labour should support people’s ambitions in business and family life.
“Only when the Labour Party proves that we are as ambitious for the people of Scotland as they are for themselves will voters think again about backing us,” Ms Dugdale said.
Mr Macintosh said the future of Scottish Labour is in the hands of party members.
He said: “From Monday, my team of volunteers will be hitting the phones to get the message of change across.
“I’m writing out to all members and supporters and have produced a video which I will also be emailing to all those who have signed up online. My whole appeal is to the members rather than to those who run the Labour Party.
“I am offering something different. I want to take our party in a new direction, more collaborative, more positive and more forward looking. I believe we need to change some of our policies and I will bring a new style and approach to our politics.
“I have been clear from day one about how I will reclaim our party to rebuild the trust we have lost. These have not just been words – I have laid out in some detail the practical changes I will make and the policies I will pursue.
“Under my leadership, Scottish Labour will be driven by our positive vision for Scotland’s future and not by our opposition to the SNP.
“For the next three and a half weeks, the focus will be on making sure members know the future of the party lies in their hands, that it is their decision that counts. I will be urging them to choose a new path.”