After a fiercely contested election that showed significant policy differences within his party and a faltering independence movement, Scottish nationalists chose Humza Yousaf as the country’s new leader.
The 37-year-old practicing Muslim will succeed Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) and, awaiting a vote in the Scottish parliament, take over as head of the partially independent government. Yousaf outlined his objectives and declared that he will focus on dealing with the crisis caused by rising living expenses and redouble his efforts to achieve independence. He declared in Edinburgh following the outcome that “the people of Scotland need independence now more than ever before” and that “we will be the generation that delivers it.”
After a six-week campaign in which the three candidates spent the majority of the time attacking each other personally while also criticizing one other’s record, Yousaf’s triumph was officially announced at the capital’s Murrayfield rugby ground. Unanimity within the SNP, which was one of its strongest points, broke down over how to conduct a second vote on independence and how to best implement social changes like transgender rights. Yousaf becomes leadership of a party with the overarching goal of putting an end to Scotland’s three-century union with England. The retirement of Sturgeon, a popular and powerful leader, may help to moderate some of the momentum toward a split of the United Kingdom, even if around four in ten Scots still favor independence, according to a poll conducted this month.
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
One of the reasons Sturgeon resigned was that there was no consensus on how to demand a fresh referendum. Rishi Sunak, the British prime minister, has been under pressure to deal with disputes within his own party, waves of industrial action, and soaring inflation. The frequently heated leadership race has helped relieve some of that burden.
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Yousaf received 24,336 of the votes cast by SNP members in the first round, beating out his major challenger, Scotland’s finance minister Kate Forbes, 32, who received 20,559 votes. With 5,599 votes, Ash Regan, who resigned from the government due to her objection to the gender recognition reforms being proposed, came in third.
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