Hamza Yusuf, health minister to date in the Scottish regional government, was elected on Monday (27) by members of the Scottish National Party (SNP) to succeed independent Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the formation.
The 37-year-old politician was elected as the new Prime Minister of Scotland with the votes of 52.1% of party members, according to official results.
He is also the first Muslim to lead a major political party in the United Kingdom.
The Scottish parliament will appoint Youssef as chief executive on Tuesday, following the unexpected resignation of Sturgeon, 52, in February. She has ruled Scotland since 2014.
The regional government of the country of 5.5 million people is responsible for major issues such as education, health, and justice.
Appointing a new leader is also important for the future of the United Kingdom, as divisions between the four countries – England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland – have been exacerbated by Brexit, which happened in 2021.
After announcing his election, the new leader of the SNP announced that he belonged to the “generation that will gain independence” from Scotland in relation to the United Kingdom.
“The Scottish people need independence now more than ever and we will be the generation that gets independence,” Youssef said after his election.
The British government responded by rejecting this new call for self-determination.
said the spokesperson for the prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who said he wanted to work with Yusuf on these topics.
– 2014 referendum –
During his eight years in power, Sturgeon has firmly championed the independence project, at the heart of the SNP, however, of late, the project has been losing steam.
According to a March 13 YouGov poll, 46% of respondents were in favor of independence, up from 50% last month. Among the undecided, the percentage drops to 39%.
However, the issue of independence intensified with Brexit, which 62% of Scots opposed, and the SNP advocating secession from London as a way to return to the European Union.
During his election campaign, Youssef argued that the party had spent too much time criticizing the failures of the British central government and not doing enough to create a vision of an independent Scotland.
– Pakistani grandparents –
Sturgeon announced his resignation on 15 February, surprising everyone, making it clear that he no longer had the necessary energy after the wear and tear of two periods marked by severe setbacks in recent months.
Her popularity began to decline due to a controversial Scottish law that made it easier to transition between the sexes without medical advice and from the age of 16. The new legislation cost her harsh criticism from the feminist sectors, with whom she had long been close.
Britain’s Supreme Court ruled last year that the Scottish government could not hold a new referendum on independence without the approval of London, which it strongly opposes.
However, the leader said she had “full confidence” that her successor would be able to lead Scotland to independence.
Born in Glasgow, Yusuf took the oath of office in both English and Urdu when he was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011 in honor of his great-grandparents, who immigrated from Pakistan 60 years ago.
He said this politician who made it clear that he was a victim of racism, especially after the attacks of September 11, 2001 in the United States states.
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