Scotland: separatist Humza Yousaf, elected Prime Minister by the local Parliament

Europe 1 with AFP 17:47 p.m., March 28, 2023

Independence activist Humza Yousaf was formally elected Scotland's first minister in a vote in the local parliament on Tuesday, becoming its first immigrant and Muslim leader. Aged 37, Humza Yousaf was elected Monday at the head of the Scottish independence party (SNP) majority, after an internal election triggered by the surprise resignation of Nicola Sturgeon last month after eight years in office. Humza Yousaf, whose paternal grandparents immigrated to Glasgow from Pakistan 60 years ago, will formally take office on Wednesday after being formally appointed to the post by royal warrant and sworn in at the Court of Session, Scotland's supreme court.

"This is a proud day for me and my family, and I hope it is also a proud day for Scotland, because it says a lot about our values," Yousaf said emotionally after the vote. He took power at a time when the fight for independence seemed to have stalled, reviving divisions within the SNP and whetting the appetites of the Conservatives, in power in London, and the Labour opposition. In front of the deputies, he paid tribute in Parliament to Nicola Sturgeon, who had officially sent Tuesday morning his letter of resignation to Charles III.

"The generation that will get independence"

"It will be difficult to replace," he said, promising to "continue to ensure that Scotland has a progressive voice on the world stage." His task promises to be difficult, British newspapers said Tuesday. The Telegraph believes that the departure of the charismatic Nicola Sturgeon marks "the end of the heroic period" of the independence party. After his victory on Monday, Humza Yousaf, until then Minister of Health, promised to be part of "the generation that will get independence", stressing that "the people" of Scotland "need independence now, more than ever".

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The independence cause, revived by Brexit to which the Scots massively opposed, seems to be at an impasse. The British Supreme Court recently rejected Nicola Sturgeon's desire to organise a new referendum, after the victory of the "no" vote in 2014. In London, the minister responsible for Scotland Allister Jack, while congratulating Humza Yousaf, called on him to "put aside his obsession with independence to focus on his work with the British government to improve the lives of Scots". The Scottish Government has jurisdiction over many matters including education, health and justice.

According to a YouGov poll on 13th March 46% of those interviewed are in favour of independence (compared to 50% last month). Including the undecided, the proportion drops to 39%. Humza Yousaf "must make sure that he leads and reinvigorates the campaign for independence, that we have a discussion about what kind of country Scotland should become," Ian Blackford, former leader of SNP MPs in the British Parliament, said Tuesday on Sky News.

In the continuity of the previous government

In addition to this major issue for the future of the United Kingdom, whose divisions between its four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been aggravated by Brexit, Humza Yousaf will have to convince the Scots that the SNP can solve their problems. According to an Ipsos poll published on Tuesday, half of them believe that Scotland is "going in the wrong direction" and that the government has done "a bad job" in terms of health, education or changes in living standards. The new leader embodies continuity, with progressive positions on social issues and anchored to the left on the economy, wishing for example to increase taxes on the richest in Scotland, which has 5.5 million inhabitants.

He also supports the controversial Gender Change Act, which was blocked by London and put Nicola Sturgeon in trouble. But the election, which Humza Yousaf did not win by a significant margin over his more conservative rival, showed "how much change is needed," writes The Guardian.