Scottish local government will soon have a new leader. Hamza Youssef was elected to succeed Nicola Sturgeon by members of the Scottish Independence Party (SNP) on Monday, March 27, re-launching the fight for self-determination.
At 37, this close friend of Nicola Sturgeon has the delicate task of reviving an independence movement that comes up against London’s stubborn refusal to hold a new referendum. Hamza Yusuf, until then the Minister of Health, became the first Muslim to lead a major political party in England. He is due to be elected Prime Minister on Tuesday in a local parliament in Edinburgh.
“We will be the generation that brings independence to Scotland.”Hamza Yusuf emphasized it in his speech after the announcement of his victory “people” Scottish A “Freedom is needed now more than ever”.
Later in the day, the British government rejected Hamza Yusuf’s call for independence. Scots and Britons as a whole love politicians “Focusing on the issues that matter most to them: reducing inflation, tackling the cost-of-living crisis and reducing waiting lists” In the health system, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesperson said, the latter “Happy to work” With Mr Yusuf.
Following an internal referendum triggered by the sudden resignation of Mme Sturgeon, who has been in office for eight years, won last month against Finance Minister Kate Forbes, a controversial Conservative incumbent and Ash Regan, a former member of local government. No candidate received more than 50% of the vote on this ballot, where voters rank candidates by preference, and he won with 52.1% of the vote on the second count. More than 50,000 SNP members voted in an electorate of just 72,000 members.
Local government in Scotland, a territory of 5.5 million people, is responsible for many subjects including education, health and justice. More broadly, the election could have serious consequences for the future of the United Kingdom, where divisions between its four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been exacerbated by Brexit – with 62% of Scots opposed to divorce. United Kingdom and European Union.
Progressive stages
But support for independence, central to the SNP’s programme, has stagnated. According to a Youkov survey on March 13, 46% of respondents were in favor of independence (against 50% in February). Including undecideds, the rate drops to 39%. In a referendum held in 2014, 45% voted for Scottish independence.
According to the Ipsos Institute, Kate Forbes was Scots’ favorite candidate, with 27% favorable opinion, 22% for Hamza Yusuf and 14% for Ash Regan. But within the SNP, Mr. Yusuf came first (38%). Kate Forbes is not far behind (37%). Kate Forbes had a rocky start to the campaign with her conservative views. He opposes same-sex marriage and abortion.
Hamza Yusuf has progressive positions on social issues and is anchored on the left on economics, for example wanting to increase taxes on the rich. However, he has been criticized for his record in various positions in the Scottish Government.
Nicola Sturgeon, 52, surprised everyone by announcing her resignation on February 15, explaining that she no longer had the energy she needed after eight years in power. She ran into trouble after London blocked a controversial law that would have made it easier to change genders. The law allowed for gender reassignment from the age of 16 without medical advice.
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But Nicola Sturgeon said she had “All Hope” Based on the fact that his successor would lead Scotland to independence.
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