In Scotland, a Prime Minister to succeed Nicola Sturgeon soon known

AFP

The three candidates to succeed the post of Prime Minister, left vacant by Nicola Sturgeon in Scotland: Humza Yousaf, Kate Forbes and Ash Regan.

SCOTLAND – Three young candidates for a single seat. A new Scottish Prime Minister will be appointed on Monday March 27, following the surprise resignation of Nicola Sturgeon last February. A succession that will not be easy since the winner will have the mission of reviving a losing independence movement.

Members of the independence party Scottish National Party (SNP) have until Monday noon to decide between the three candidates: Kate Forbes, Humza Yousaf and Ash Regan. The result of this internal ballot which began two weeks ago will be known later today.

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Scottish local government is responsible for many matters including education, health and justice. More broadly, this election is important for the future of the United Kingdom, whose divisions between the four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been aggravated by Brexit.

For the time being, Kate Forbes is the favorite candidate of the Scots, with 27% of favorable opinion, against 22% for Humza Yousaf and 14% for Ash Regan, according to an Ipsos poll, carried out between March 17 and 21.

On Thursday, the former Prime Minister, a fierce campaigner for Scottish independence, had bid farewell to the local Parliament in Edinburgh, after having mentioned during her resignation ” a very difficult job “. For her farewell, however, she welcomed the change in approach in her country: “It will either be the second female prime minister or the first prime minister from an ethnic minority.”

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Kate Forbes, Scottish favorite

As the now ex-chief of the Scottish executive pointed out, Kate Forbes could become, at just 32 years old, one of the youngest political leaders in the world and therefore the second female Prime Minister in Scotland, if elected. this Monday.

Born in Dingwall in the Highlands, Kate Forbes spent her childhood in a Gaelic school, then in India, where her parents were missionaries. She then worked as an accountant at Barclays in London before returning to Scotland, where she was elected to parliament in 2016.

A member of the conservative Free Church of Scotland, her campaign got off to a rocky start when she claimed she would have opposed same-sex marriage if she had been an MP at the time.

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AFP

First expected to lead the SNP in 2020, Kate Forbes could finally become at 32 one of the youngest political leaders in the world, after the departure of Nicola Sturgeon.

She thus alienated the support of the centre-left electoral base of the SNP, Scotland’s main independence party, even though she pledged to “defending everyone’s rights to the end”. Kate Forbes is also calling for a generational renewal at the head of the SNP, saying that “To persevere in the same direction is not a manifesto, but an admission of mediocrity”.

She also said that the preparatory work for independence had not been enough. During the campaign, she felt that the road to independence must be “gradual” to convince those who voted against in 2014.

Ash Regan, the surprise

Despite serving as a minister for four years, Ash Regan, 49, was relatively unknown outside the Scottish parliament until her resignation from Nicola Sturgeon’s government to mark her opposition to a gender change recognition law.

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She also accused her opponents of being “soft” on independence and promised to unite supporters of independence in a dedicated convention. Ash Regan also proposed treating each election as an independence vote, saying if pro-independence parties win more than 50% of the vote, it would be a clear indication that Scotland wants to leave the UK.

AFP

Ash Regan is not a favorite for the post of Prime Minister, but her more radical positions on Scottish independence could differentiate her from her adversaries.

She plans to create a Scottish mint in the months following independence, and has already produced examples of what coins and notes might look like.

Originally from Biggar, southeast of Glasgow, Ash Regan worked in public relations, marketing and event planning in England before returning to Scotland and joining a pro-independence think tank.

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She joined the SNP in 2014 after the referendum, and was elected to parliament in 2016, before joining Sturgeon’s government two years later.

Humza Yousaf, for continuity

At almost 38 years old, Humza Yousaf is the only man but he is the candidate who has received the most endorsements from parliamentarians. Which therefore makes him the favorite to succeed Nicola Sturgeon. His supporters also praise his communication skills, which could help unite the party.

Humza Yousaf has held various positions in the Scottish Government since 2012, including Justice, Transport and Health. This Muslim, elected to Parliament in 2011, had taken the oath in English and Urdu.

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His closeness to Nicola Sturgeon makes him the candidate for continuity, particularly in the desire to maintain the government agreement with the Scottish Greens.

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Favorite of parliamentarians, but not of Scots, Humza Yousaf benefits from a great experience and a habit of exposure having already been Minister of Justice, Transport and Health since 2012.

Humza Yousaf has pledged to continue the fight against the UK government’s blocking of a controversial gender change recognition law.

He argues that independence can only be achieved by upholding progressive values and wants the SNP to talk more about its vision of independence rather than the technical details, in order to win over hesitant voters.

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But, while serving as health minister, he also has to defend himself against growing problems in Scotland’s health system, and the controversial hate crimes law he championed when he was justice minister. If he wins, Humza Yousaf will be Scotland’s first ethnic minority leader, and the first Muslim to lead a major political party in the UK.