Scotland’s parliament on Tuesday confirmed Humza Yousaf will replace Nicola Sturgeon as first minister, the devolved nation’s youngest and the first Muslim leader of a government in western Europe.
Yousaf, 37, narrowly won a Scottish National Party (SNP) leadership battle on Monday to clinch the top job, vowing to rejuvenate the stalled pursuit of independence for Scotland.
READ ALSO: Scottish parliament poised to confirm Humza Yousaf as first minister
He then secured the nominations of a majority of lawmakers in a vote Tuesday to become the new first minister and will be formally sworn in on Wednesday.
Ahead of the confirmatory vote, Yousaf acknowledged he had “some very big shoes to fill” succeeding Sturgeon but vowed to “continue to ensure that Scotland is a positive, progressive voice on the world stage”.
“I will also argue vigorously for independence,” he added afterwards, pledging in the meantime “to make the best possible use of this parliament’s existing powers”.
Yousaf promised Monday to be “the generation that delivers independence for Scotland,” and said he would ask London promptly to allow another vote.
But the UK government’s Scottish Secretary Alister Jack said he hoped the new SNP leader would “put his obsession with independence aside”.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak congratulated Yousaf later Tuesday in their first conversation since the latter’s win.
