New East Lothian SNP leader Lyn Jardine has warned the county faces a democratic "deficit" if Labour are allowed to create another minority administration.
Labour councillors are the biggest elected group after all ten of their nominees won seats at this month's elections and are expected to try and form a minority administration when the council meets for the first time later this month.
However, the previous minority administration appointed a Cabinet which was made up entirely of Labour councillors and able to take some decisions without any input from opposition members.
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Now Councillor Jardine, who is expected to be named Opposition Leader after the SNP returned seven councillors at the election, has warned a new cabinet will need to be challenged.
She said: "We face another five years of a democratic deficit, with the potential for just five individuals making the most significant decisions for the county.
"It has been allowed to happen in the past, but I would say it is not the right way to represent the whole of East Lothian."
The newly-elected SNP group leader, who takes the place of Stuart Currie, who stepped down at the election, says she wants to move forward with a new group of councillors many of whom have been elected for the first time.
She said: "We are not in the business of harking back to the past ten years.
"I am excited moving forward as the first SNP group leader in East Lothian and with the election of ten new female councillors across the parties.
"It will make a difference and I relish the opportunity moving forward."
The new East Lothian councillors are made up of ten Labour councillors, seven SNP councillors, four Conservative councillors and the county's first Scottish Green Party councillor.
Appointments will be voted on at the council's first meeting on May 24, including formation of a cabinet and committees.
East Lothian Labour group has not commented on its proposals.
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