Humza Yousaf was narrowly elected as the new leader of Scotland’s pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) party on Monday, meaning he will succeed former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon who stepped down last month.
Yousaf has been confirmed as the new leader of the SNP party and is the first Muslim to lead a major political party in the UK, as well as being the youngest leader of Scotland. He is also currently Scotland's Health Minister.
After a bitter contest, which put Yousaf beat two other candidates — current Finance Minister Kate Forbes, a devout Christian who made headlines for her personal opposition to same-sex marriage, and former minister Ash Regan — with 52% of the votes in the second round, compared to 48%.
Yousaf, who is just 37 years old, has been part of the SNP's government for more than a decade. Seen as a close ally of Sturgeon, had has had both the advantage and the curse of being seen as the "continuity candidate" as Sturgeon’s unacknowledged favourite. He was also the only candidate in favour of continuing Sturgeon’s approach when she was leader.
Yousaf easily earned the most endorsements from SNP parliamentarians and ministers, notably including Sturgeon’s deputy, John Swinney, himself a former leader of the party.
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Sturgeon herself announced her resignation in mid-February after her eight-year reign in what was seen as a major blow to Scotland's independence cause. She is expected to formally resign as First Minister of the devolved Scottish Government on Tuesday.
Following her official resignation, a vote will take place in Holyrood — the Scottish Parliament, where the SNP hold a plurality of seats — to confirm Yousaf as First Minister.
