Independent councillors took over control of the Highland Council in a minority administration, following Liberal Democrats walking out of the ruling coalition two weeks ago.
The SNP say they will support the Independents "on certain issues".
The new council leader is Margaret Davidson, councillor for Aird and Loch Ness and the convener is Black Isle councillor Isobel McCallum.
The council's composition is: Independent 34, SNP 21, Liberal Democrat 11, Labour eight, Highland Alliance five , Non-aligned one.
Despite independent councillors being in a majority, the SNP formed the ruling administration with Lib Dems and Labour in 2012. But the LibDems said they found working with the SNP increasingly difficult and the SNP Scottish Government had to be held to account.
However negotiations between Lib Dems and the Independents broke down and a special meeting of the council was held to form the new administration.
Mrs Davidson said, "We are on the brink of an exciting time for the Highlands. We are an Independent Administration and whilst we may be a minority Administration, this is not unusual across Scotland. Our aim is to work collaboratively with other Members to achieve the best outcomes for the Highlands.
"Without being bound by party politics, we intend to take a fresh look at community planning with a renewed emphasis on empowerment. We want to work in partnership with our communities and provide them with real local decision making powers."
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