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On Wednesday, Humza Yousaf made history by being sworn in as Scotland’s new First Minister, becoming the first racial minority and Muslim to lead the country. In his acceptance speech at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium on Monday, Yousaf paid tribute to his grandparents, who were immigrants to Scotland and spoke little English, saying that they could never have imagined that their grandson would become the country’s leader. He emphasized that his election sends a clear message that skin color or faith is not a barrier to leading the country.
Yousaf’s victory in the Scottish National Party’s leadership contest is not only historic for Scotland but for the Western world at large. He is the first Muslim politician to be elected as a national leader in a Western democracy, and the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government in the UK. His election comes soon after the election of Britain’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, both of South Asian origin, meaning that for the first time in history, the leaders of the British, Scottish, and Irish governments are all of South Asian origin.
Although Yousaf is expected to continue Sturgeon’s progressive policies, including supporting the Scottish government’s gender reform, his supporters say he will bring his own leadership style to the role. However, the most immediate challenge facing Yousaf will be to unite his party. The leadership contest exposed deep divisions within the SNP, prompting some of the party’s senior members to speculate about the possibility of a potential split. If this were to happen, it would be a significant boost for the Scottish Labour and Conservative parties, both of which have struggled to win against the SNP in recent elections. Yousaf’s first electoral test will be the next UK general election, due to take place by January 2025, which doesn’t give him much time to prove himself. If the SNP loses seats in that contest, Yousaf might not have the tenure that his predecessors had.
Humza Yousaf’s election as Scotland’s First Minister is a historic moment for the country and the Western world. As the first racial minority and Muslim to lead Scotland, Yousaf’s victory sends a powerful message that skin color or faith is not a barrier to leadership. Although Yousaf is expected to continue Sturgeon’s progressive policies, he will bring his own leadership style to the role. However, Yousaf faces the immediate challenge of uniting his party, which was deeply divided during the leadership contest. With the next UK general election taking place by January 2025, Yousaf has a limited time to prove himself and secure his tenure as First Minister.
