Edinburgh, 28 March 2023 (GNP): It was announced on Monday that Humza Yousaf has won the race for the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) leadership position and will succeed Nicola Sturgeon as the first minister of Scotland.
After a fiercely contested referendum on Monday that exposed significant policy differences within his party and a faltering independence movement, Scottish nationalists chose Humza Yousaf to govern the country.
“I will be a First Minister for all of Scotland.” In his acceptance speech, Yousaf pledged, “I will work every minute of every day to earn and to re-earn your respect and your trust.”
Yousaf continued, “To serve my country as First Minister will be the greatest privilege and honor of my life.”
Polls have closed! I could not be prouder of the campaign we've run
Thank you to my wonderful family, friends, campaign team & all those members who have supported me throughout this amazing journey
Whatever happens, I know SNP will come together & unite behind our new leader pic.twitter.com/1jErsQUwht
— Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 27, 2023
The frequently ill-tempered race for leadership has alleviated some of the burdens on Rishi Sunak, the Prime Minister of Britain, who is facing challenges within his own party, a series of labor strikes, and elevated inflation rates.
Yousaf is the first Muslim and non-white cabinet minister to have held office in the Scottish Government.
He has represented Glasgow in the Scottish Parliament from 2011 to 2016 and Glasgow Pollok since 2016.
The results of Yousaf’s six-week campaign were officially stated on Monday afternoon at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield rugby stadium.
“The people of Scotland need independence now more than ever before, and we will be the generation that delivers it,” he said in Edinburgh after the result.
During the course of the campaign, the three candidates reportedly spent the majority of their time attacking one another’s character.
Yousaf secured 52% of the final votes in his campaign, which focused on several key promises, including achieving Scottish independence, addressing the challenges associated with high living costs, rejoining the European Union, prohibiting conversion practices, and shifting towards sustainable energy sources.
In the first round of voting, Yousaf garnered the support of 24,336 SNP members, while his primary opponent, Scotland’s finance minister Kate Forbes, received 20,559 votes.
Ash Regan, who stepped down from the government due to her objections to proposed changes to gender recognition, came in third place with 5,599 votes.
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Yousaf outlined his objectives, stating that his main priorities would be to address the challenges associated with high living costs and to renew efforts toward achieving Scottish independence.
“My immediate priority will be to continue to protect every Scot as far as we possibly can from the harm inflicted by the cost-of-living crisis, to recover and reform our NHS and other vital public services, [and] to support our well-being economy to improve the life chances of people right across this country,” he said.
Yousaf takes command of a party whose primary goal is to dissolve Scotland’s three-century coalition with England.
During the campaign, Yousaf also expressed his belief that an independent Scotland should consider abandoning the British monarchy.
Although approximately 40% of Scots still endorse the idea of independence, a poll conducted this month suggests that the departure of the dynamic and authoritative leader Sturgeon could impede the momentum toward the dissolution of the United Kingdom.
The lack of a coherent strategy on how to compel a new referendum is one of the reasons behind Sturgeon’s resignation.
In 2014, Scotland rejected the notion of independence with a margin of 55% to 45%. However, the Brexit vote two years later, despite the majority of Scots voting to remain in the EU, and Scotland’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, led to increased support for independence.
Although a poll conducted this month indicated that the level of support for independence had fallen to 39%, or 46% when excluding “don’t know” respondents, it is still noteworthy that this figure is down from a record high of 58% in 2020.
Yousaf also cited his own background, including his birth in Glasgow and his mixed ethnic heritage (his father is from Pakistan and his mother is from Kenya), as an example of the inclusive, socially liberal, and multi-ethnic Scotland that the SNP seeks to promote.
