After his election as leader of the SNP, Humza Yousaf was formally elected head of government by the Scottish Parliament on Tuesday. He will then have to be sworn in before the Scottish Supreme Court.
The British daily The Guardian qualifies him as “unacknowledged favorite successor” by Nicola Sturgeon. The latter gave up her place as Scottish Prime Minister on Tuesday March 28 to Humza Yousaf, elected the day before as the new leader of the Scottish Independence Party (SNP). Fervent supporter of independence, the first leader of Scotland to come from an ethnic minority, Humza Yousaf will have to take up the challenge of succeeding his former boss, who governed for eight years, and make his mark on the left.
He will be elected First Minister of Scotland.
Arrived at the head of the SNP on Monday, at 37, Humza Yousaf was formally elected Prime Minister of Scotland on Tuesday by the local Parliament. He must then be officially appointed to this position by royal warrant and be sworn in before the Court of Session, Scotland’s Supreme Court, on Wednesday. Humza Yousaf is thus propelled to the head of the country after an internal ballot triggered by the surprise resignation of Nicola Sturgeon, last month, after eight years in office.
Humza Yousaf won against Finance Minister Kate Forbes, who held conservative positions, and Ash Regan, a former member of the local government. No candidate having received more than 50% of the votes in this poll where the voters rank the candidates in order of preference, he won the election on the second count, collecting 52.1% of the votes. Until then Minister of Health, he previously had the responsibility of various ministerial portfolios such as justice or transport.
He is close to Nicola Sturgeon
Born in Glasgow, Humza Yousaf was educated in a private school, then studied political science at the university of his birthplace. He worked in a call center before becoming an assistant to Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon’s predecessor as head of the SNP. Very close to the latter, he is considered the candidate for continuity. The new boss of the independence party has “the same progressive agenda” than its predecessor, “promising to defend his Gender Recognition Reform Bill (which allows for a change of gender from the age of 16) against a veto by the British Parliament”, note Cécile Ducourtieux, correspondent for World (paid item) UK.
Humza Yousaf will have to show his ability to open a new page in the history of the party, at a time when the fight for independence seems to have stalled, rekindling divisions within the SNP and whetting the appetites of the opposition to a year and a half of the next local elections.
The task therefore does not look easy. “Within her party, the outgoing Prime Minister has undeniably left a void,” underline International mail (paid item)citing the British newspaper The Times and the Scottish daily The Herald. “None of the candidates seemed capable of imposing their authority on the party”strike the Timesfor whom the real winners of the ballot are to be found in London, among the supporters of the unity of the United Kingdom. “We rub our hands there, because we also consider Humza Yousaf as a blunderer, associated with the failures of Nicola Sturgeon”, adds the Herald.
He is a supporter of Scottish independence
Following his election as head of the SNP on Monday, Humza Yousaf promised to be part of “the generation that will obtain independence”, emphasizing that “the people” scottish a “need for independence now, more than ever”. Enough to make London react strongly. Downing Street hit back that Scots want accountability “which focus on the issues most important to them: reducing inflation, dealing with the cost of living crisis and reducing waiting lists” in the health system.
After the 55% “no” victory in the 2014 referendum, the debate on independence was revived by the exit from the European Union, which 62% of Scots were opposed to, contrary to the rest of the United Kingdom. . But support for independence, at the heart of the SNP’s programme, is currently stagnating in public opinion. According to a YouGov survey of March 13 for the Sky News channel, 46% of Scots polled are in favor of independence (compared to 50% in February). Including the undecided, the proportion drops to 39%.
On the subject, Humza Yousaf pledged on Monday to launch a popular movement in favor of self-determination. And this, even if the British Supreme Court ruled last year impossible to organize a new referendum without the agreement of London, which strongly opposes such a vote.
He is the first racialized person to hold the post of Prime Minister in Scotland.
Of Pakistani and Indian origin, Humza Yousaf is also the first Muslim leader of a major political party in the United Kingdom. In 2011, when he was first elected to the Scottish Parliament, he was sworn in both English and Urdu. After his victory on Monday, he paid tribute to his paternal grandparents, who came from Pakistan 60 years ago. “They could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that their grandson would one day become the next First Minister of Scotland.” “It reminds us that we should (…) always celebrate immigrants, who contribute so much to our country”, he added, in a thinly veiled jab at the British government’s desire to toughen asylum conditions in the UK.
During her last appearance in Parliament as Prime Minister last week, Nicola Sturgeon called for unity, noting that her successor would either be the second woman to become Prime Minister or the first leader from a ethnic minority. “Whatever the outcome [du vote]it will send a very powerful message that any young person in Scotland can aspire to the highest office in the country.” she said.
Referring to his political debut, Humza Yousaf recounted having suffered racist attacks and comments, particularly after the attacks of September 11, 2001. “I have been the victim of a huge amount of attacks online and, unfortunately, sometimes also face to face”, he reported. He assures that his experience will lead him to defend the rights of all minorities, including those of homosexuals and transgender people.