Humza Yousaf Resign : Scotland’s first Muslim minister Humza Yousaf has stepped down from the posts of the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Scotland’s first minister.
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Humza Yousaf News
Nearly 13 months after taking up the post of Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, stepped down from the post amid the ongoing political drama in the country. Humza has quit his post as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader also.
Humza Yousaf leadership was under fire after the SNP’s coalition with the Scottish Greens was called off, triggering two no-confidence motions from opposition parties slated for later this week.
Who is Humza Yousaf?
Humza Yousaf, who is Scotland’s youngest elected leader and the first Muslim to head a major political party, admitted to underestimating the backlash following the termination of the power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens.
“I have concluded that repairing the relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm,” Yousaf acknowledged, announcing his resignation as SNP leader.
Yousaf was born in Glasgow to Pakistani immigrants. While growing up in the country, Yousaf emerged as a skilled communicator and was tasked with uniting the SNP amid internal divisions. Assuming leadership of SNP in March 2023 amid waning support for Scottish independence, Yousaf faced an arduous tenure cut short after just over a year in office.
Yousaf’s departure triggers the search for his successor and, consequently, a new first minister. The Scottish Parliament has 28 days to endorse any replacement. If a consensus cannot be reached, an election will be called.
How is a new first minister selected?
The parliament has 28 days to nominate a replacement for Mr Yousaf once his resignation has been accepted by the King.
As Mr Yousaf has decided to continue as first minister until a new party leader is selected, the clock will not start until his successor is appointed by the SNP.
If there was only one candidate for the parliamentary nomination, they would only need a simple majority of votes in favour to secure the nomination.
The leaders from other political parties can also put themselves forward. If that happens, as was the case when Mr Yousaf was confirmed as first minister last year, any candidate that secured more than half of all votes would win the nomination.
Not willing to trade my values: Humza Yousaf
In a televised address, Yousaf stated, “I am not willing to trade my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power,” reported ANI.
The SNP has faced several challenges including a funding scandal and the departure of former leader Nicola Sturgeon last year. Internally, debates have arisen regarding the party’s approach to policy, as it seeks to reconnect with voters, Al Jazeera reported.
Despite initially expressing confidence in his ability to survive a no-confidence vote, Yousaf’s prospects dimmed over time. His attempts to negotiate with other parties to strengthen his minority government faced uncertainty by Monday.
How will the SNP choose a new leader?
It is expected that the process will be similar to the one which followed Ms Sturgeon’s resignation.
Candidates were required to get 100 nominations from at least 20 local party branches.
If more than one candidate meets that test, there will be a leadership contest.
SNP national secretary Lorna Finn Confirmed nominations opened on Monday at 23:59 and would close next Monday at noon.
The next stage is expected to be a ballot by members using a single transferable vote system. Last time round the contest took about a month to complete, before parliament confirmed Humza Yousaf as the nomination to become first minister.
The next SNP leader would then need to seek parliamentary approval to succeed Mr Yousaf as first minister.
