The SNP today confirmed that one of Scotland's best-known political bloggers would take up the position of MSP for Glasgow left vacant by the death of Bashir Ahmad.

Anne McLaughlin, a senior Scottish National party activist in Glasgow, blogs under the name Indygal, attracting a loyal following with her eclectic diet of posts on council tax rates, her cat, Puss, and tart dissections of Labour opponents.

Ahmad, Scotland's first and only non-white MSP, died of a heart attack on Friday.

Because Ahmad was elected as a "list" MSP under Scotland's system of proportional representation, his place in the Scottish parliament was offered to the next SNP candidate on the list – McLaughlin.

Originally from Greenock and based in Dennistoun, McLaughlin has been an active member of the SNP for 20 years and is employed as parliamentary researcher to Bob Doris, the MSP for Glasgow.

She stood in Glasgow Springburn at the 2007 elections.

She was campaign coordinator for the SNP during the Glasgow East byelection and recently returned from working in Sri Lanka supporting economic regeneration following the tsunami.

The Scottish parliament today announced it would open a book of condolence in the main hall of the parliament tomorrow and is expected to pay tribute to Ahmad at the start of its business on Wednesday.

McLaughlin is then expected to take the oath later in the week if agreed by the Scottish parliament's business bureau.

Mclaughlin said: "Bashir Ahmad was a great colleague and an excellent MSP.

"This is not the circumstances in which I would wish to enter parliament; however, it will be an honour to serve the people of Glasgow as their MSP and one I hope I will fulfil with the same warmth and humanity that Bashir brought to the job.

"Bashir was a constant encouragement to me and I along with many others will miss him deeply.

"As someone who has lived and worked in Glasgow for most of my life I am looking forward to working with and representing people across the city in the best interests of Glasgow."