{"id":14509,"date":"2023-03-28T10:45:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-28T08:45:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/?p=14509"},"modified":"2023-03-30T19:25:18","modified_gmt":"2023-03-30T17:25:18","slug":"scotlands-ruling-party-chooses-humza-yousaf-as-the-countrys-next-leader","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ir-ia.com\/news\/scotlands-ruling-party-chooses-humza-yousaf-as-the-countrys-next-leader\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotland\u2019s ruling party chooses Humza Yousaf as the country\u2019s next leader"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The 37-year-old son of a South Asian immigrant, Humza Yousaf, is set to become Scotland\u2019s next first minister. Scotland\u2019s governing, Scottish National Party, elected Yousaf as its new leader on March 27, 2023.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being elected by a majority vote, Humza Yousaf would lead the Scottish National Party in the parliament and would replace Nicola Sturgeon as the country\u2019s first minister. Last month, Sturgeon stepped down as the leader of the ruling party. She will now give her resignation to the King of Britain as the first minister of Scotland\u2019s semi-autonomous government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humza Yousaf, a Scot of Pakistani heritage, would be the first person of color to serve as Scotland\u2019s first minister. His election to the office comes only six months after Rishi Sunak became Britain\u2019s first prime minister of Indian heritage. After receiving a majority vote from the Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), Yousaf will be sworn in as Scotland\u2019s first minister on March 29, 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yousaf ran for party leadership against Kate Forbes, a 32-year-old rising star of Scottish politics. Forbes has been serving as Scotland\u2019s finance minister under the Sturgeons government. She lost many of her supporters recently after giving statements against same-sex marriage. Yousaf won 52.1% of the final vote and Kate Forbes received 47.9% of the votes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a>
Humza Yousaf speaks as he is announced as the new Scottish National Party leader in Edinburgh, the Capital of Scotland, on March 27, 2023. (Image Credit: Reuters\/Russell Cheyne)<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In his victory speech at the Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Yousaf vowed to pursue SNP\u2019s struggle for independence from Britain. \u201cI will ensure our drive for independence is in fifth gear,\u201d he said. \u201cThe people of Scotland need independence now more than ever.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scotland voted against independence by 55 percent to 45 percent in a 2014 referendum, however, Britain\u2019s exit from the European Union and the country\u2019s dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic economic crisis has brought new support to SNP\u2019s independence movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy 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, to support our well-being economy to improve the life chances of people right across this country,\u201d Yousaf said in his victory speech at Edinburgh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After being elected as the party leader, Yousaf posted on Twitter that he met with Scottish Greens co-leaders Lorna Slater and Patrick Harvie to reaffirm support for the Bute House Agreement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Delighted to meet @scottishgreens<\/a> co-leaders @patrickharvie<\/a> & @lornaslater<\/a> at St Andrew’s House this afternoon where we reaffirmed our support for the Bute House Agreement, which will maintain our pro-independence majority at \ud83c\udff4\udb40\udc67\udb40\udc62\udb40\udc73\udb40\udc63\udb40\udc74\udb40\udc7f @ScotParl<\/a> & deliver for the people of Scotland. pic.twitter.com\/ZtV5IrZMIg<\/a><\/p>\u2014 Humza Yousaf (@HumzaYousaf) March 27, 2023<\/a><\/blockquote>