The Scottish National Party had hoped to choose a new leader to replace outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf.
The Scottish government has survived a vote of confidence, giving the Scottish National Party (SNP) the opportunity to choose a new leader to replace outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Yousaf’s decision to resign as prime minister and leader of the SNP on Monday has thrown the party into chaos and raised hopes in the UK’s opposition Labor Party that it can regain seats in Scotland to win an election nationally this year.
Polls show Labor ahead of or tied with the SNP in Scotland for the first time in a decade.
Yousaf said she would resign after ending a coalition with the Green Party. It means the SNP is looking for a third leader in just over a year, undermining what once appeared to be its iron grip on power in the devolved Scottish government.
Although the Greens made Yousaf’s position untenable by withdrawing their confidence in him personally, they voted with the SNP against Wednesday’s vote of no confidence in the Scottish government.
The motion of censure was defeated by 70 votes to 58.
The government’s defeat would have led to the resignation of all ministers and most likely triggered an election in Scotland.
Avoiding this outcome, Yousaf will remain in office until the SNP chooses a new leader. Former SNP party leader John Swinney and Yousaf’s former leadership rival Kate Forbes have said they are considering running.
Glasgow-born Yousaf, whose paternal grandparents and father emigrated from Pakistan to Scotland in the 1960s, was hailed as a polished communicator who the SNP hoped would be able to unite the fractured SNP.
“I could never have dreamed that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country,” he said during his resignation speech. “People who looked like me didn’t hold positions of political influence, let alone leading governments, when I was younger.”
Yousaf was the Muslim head of a major political party and Scotland’s youngest elected leader. He took over the party in March last year following the resignation of longtime leader Nicola Sturgeon, who faced divisions in the party over the best path to Scottish independence and proposed transgender recognition legislation.
Police also investigated the SNP’s finances, and Sturgeon’s husband was charged with embezzling SNP funds. She was arrested and questioned, but not charged. Both deny wrongdoing.
Analysts told Al Jazeera that the SNP is in crisis and that Yousaf’s resignation was a reflection of the party’s current downward trajectory as a political force.
This story originally appeared on Aljazeera.com read the full story
