Humza Yousaf to succeed Sturgeon as SNP leader

Humza Yousaf is to win Nicola Sturgeon arsenic SNP person and Scotland's archetypal curate aft a ballot of enactment members.

Mr Yousaf defeated rivals Kate Forbes and Ash Regan successful a enactment contention that exposed heavy divisions wrong the party.

The 37-year-old is the archetypal Muslim to pb a large UK party. 

He is acceptable to beryllium confirmed arsenic the archetypal taste number person of a devolved authorities connected Tuesday.

Mr Yousaf is presently Scotland's wellness caput and was wide assumed to beryllium Ms Sturgeon's preferred successor, though she did not explicitly backmost immoderate of the candidates successful the contest.

The enactment predetermination was decided by the Single Transferable Vote system, with astir 50,490 of the SNP's 72,169 casting a ballot - the immense bulk of them online.

After Ms Regan was eliminated successful the archetypal round, Mr Yousaf defeated Ms Forbes by 52% to 48%.

The caller SNP person volition look a ballot successful the Scottish Parliament - which helium is virtually definite to triumph - connected Tuesday earlier becoming Scotland's sixth archetypal minister.

Speaking aft the effect was announced astatine Murrayfield Stadium successful Edinburgh, Ms Yousaf called connected the enactment to unite down him aft what has often been a fractious enactment contest.

And helium said independency would beryllium won "on the doorsteps", and pledged to kickstart a grassroots campaign, adding: "We volition beryllium the procreation to triumph independency for Scotland".

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