Alex Salmond has claimed Ash Regan has the best policy on how to achieve Scottish independence out of the three candidates vying to succeed Nicola Sturgeon.
The former First Minister also said Humza Yousaf and Kate Forbes had "outstanding qualities" in an interview today - but stopped shorting of formally endorsing a single campaign.
But he warned the health secretary had "questions to answer" in terms of his track record in office.
Speaking on Times Radio, Salmond was asked if he liked any of the three candidates.
"Well, I like them all - I mean, I know Humza Yousaf better than the two woman because Humza used to work for me," he said.
"But I've met the two women, I think all of them have outstanding qualities.
"Ash Regan has the best independence policy. Kate Forbes is a gifted, a naturally gifted politician, that's obvious.
"Neither of these women have had much time to develop the campaigns, which is one of the misfortunes of this election, and Humza Yousaf, although he has questions to answer, let's put it that way, in terms of his track record in office, is clearly a capable politician."
Ash Regan has insisted that a simple majority of voters in Scotland backing pro-independence candidates at a Westminster election would be a mandate for ending the Union.
Allies of the former First Minister have made regular interventions in the contest that was sparked by the sudden resignation of Nicola Sturgeon.
But Salmond himself has not endorsed one of three candidates vying to become the next SNP leader.
Asked if he was advising the Regan campaign, he added: "I've got no dog in this fight. I've spoken to all three candidates at various times. But I'm not going to tell you the nature of these conversations. I've got the old fashioned view that private conversations are private."
Salmond, who quit the SNP in 2019 and later launched the Alba Party, blamed "a combination of reasons" for 30,000 card-carrying members of the Nationalists quitting over the last two years.
He added: "I would say that the key underlying factor is the lack of progress in moving towards independence.
"I think in more recent times, certainly, the transgender debate alienated a substantial section of people who cared about women's rights, which is a lot of people.
"But I think the underlying reason for the decline of the SNP is the lack of perceived progress in getting to independence because the more immediate issue is not whether 30,000 people left the SNP, but that Peter Murrell and the SNP organisation, systematically lied about it."
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