Humza Yousaf was elected by members of the Scottish Independence Party (SNP) on Monday to succeed Nicola Sturgeon as chief of local government, resuming the fight for self-determination.
Here are 19 things you should know about this new heavyweight on the British political scene:
- He is 37 years old;
- He was born in Glasgow;
- He is of Muslim faith;
- His paternal grandparents came from Pakistan 60 years ago;
- He was educated in a private school;
- He then studied political science at the university in his hometown;
- He worked in a call center;
- He later served as an assistant to Alex Salmond, Nicola Sturgeon’s predecessor as leader of the SNP;
- He was Minister of Health to this day;
- He is due to be elected prime minister by the local parliament on Tuesday;
- He becomes the first Muslim to lead a major political party in Britain;
- He is considered a continuity candidate;
Photo ANDY BUCHANAN / AFP
Humza Yousaf addressed the crowd after his win on Monday.
- He is an adopted Republican;
- He was elected to the Scottish Parliament in 2011;
- He was sworn in on entering the Parliament of Scotland in Urdu and English;
- He was the first Muslim to hold a ministerial post in a Scottish government in 2012;
- He becomes the youngest leader of the SNP;
- He is known to have talents as a communicator, which is likely to unify the party;
- He said he had suffered racist attacks and comments in the past, particularly after the September 11, 2001 attacks;
He succeeds the emblematic Head of State Nicola Sturgeon at a time when the country is experiencing crises in the health system – for which he was responsible as Minister – and in education.
His record in government was heavily criticized during the election campaign.
But far from wanting to sever ties with his predecessor, he indicated he will remain in close contact with her to seek her advice, while promising more collegial leadership and being “less confined to a restricted circle”. .