Yousaf elected Leader of Scottish National Party
Following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon from the leadership position of the Scottish National Party in February, Humza Yousaf was elected as the new leader.
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Newly appointed leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Humza Yousaf, speaks following the SNP Leadership election result announcement at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh on March 27, 2023 (Andy Buchanan/ AFP)
Following the resignation of Nicola Sturgeon from the leadership position of the Scottish National Party in February, Humza Yousaf was elected as the new leader.
"I feel like the luckiest man in the world... To serve my country as first minister will be the greatest privilege and honor of my life, should parliament decide to elect me as Scotland's next first minister tomorrow," Yousaf commented after the results of the election proclaimed him winner against his contenders Ash Regan and Kate Forbes.
Yousaf had previously as transportation minister and justice secretary and currently holds the position of health minister.
His first rival who is not as popular, Ash Regan, was popularly ridiculed for her idea of creating a physical “readiness thermometer” before elections. His second rival Kate Forbes, who is notorious for being a Christian conservative, is assessed to be more popular nationally but less popular within the party due to her religious right-wing convictions.
Read more: Scotland's First Minister announces out-of-the-blue resignation
Back in February, Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the head of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and notorious fighter against Brexit and in favor of Scotland's independence, announced her resignation after almost a decade of holding the position.
Sturgeon's surprising announcement shocked the British political scene as she announced that in "my head and in my heart," she knew that this is the right time to depart her role as First Minister and leader of the SNP.
"This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment," Sturgeon said.
Read more: Scottish government seeks independence vote in October 2023
Sturgeon garnered huge support for her party as she pushed for a new independence referendum after the first one that took place in September fell short of reaching the required target by over 10%.
Following the results, the UK government denied Scotland from carrying out another vote on the matter, insisting that it was a once-in-a-generation event.
