Scottish separatists start voting to replace Nicola Sturgeon
Scottish Health Minister and Scottish National Party MP Humza Yousaf, MP Ash Regan and Scottish Finance Minister Kate Forbes. Candidates are vying to replace outgoing Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
Scottish separatists began voting on Monday to elect their leader to become Scotland's new Prime Minister. Scotland after the surprise resignation of Nicola Sturgeon in mid-February, a particularly important election for the future of the United Kingdom.
Three candidates are in the running to succeed Ms Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP): local finance minister Kate Forbes, whose Tory remarks have sparked controversy in her left-leaning party, local health minister Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim member of the Scottish government, and Ash Regan, a former minister who resigned last year.
All three have promised to take up the torch for independence carried for eight years by Nicola Sturgeon, who announced that she was throwing in the towel on February 15, explaining that she no longer had the x27;energy required.
She remains in place during the transition, however. The name of his successor is to be announced on March 27, after an unprecedented ballot since 2004 for the independence party.
After the failure of the first independence referendum in 2014, Ms Sturgeon wanted a second consultation, which London strongly opposed, backed by a Supreme Court ruling the year last.
The Prime Minister then announced that she would make the local elections in 2026 a de facto referendum for or against independence, a controversial choice until within his party, while the polls show a very divided electorate on the question and even the desire for independence at half mast.
According to a YouGov poll for the Sky News channel published on Monday, 46% of respondents are in favor of independence (compared to 50% last month). Including the undecided, the proportion drops to 39%.
Nicola Sturgeon also found herself in trouble after London blocked a controversial law she had made pass on gender transitions.
First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon.
Kate Forbes, 32-year-old candidate and fervent Christian, was particularly fiercely opposed. Seen as a rising star in the party, she has repeatedly shared her conservative stances, including on LGBTQ+ issues and having children out of wedlock.
Another candidate to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, Ash Regan, 49, resigned from the government over rejection of the controversial bill last year.
Humza Yousaf, 37, is the only candidate who has promised to uphold the premier's progressive social policies. I am the only candidate who has said unequivocally that he will protect everyone, he claimed in a televised debate on Thursday.
In a soul-searching independence movement, Kate Forbes said on Monday that the path to independence must be gradual to convince those who voted against it in 2014.
Humza Yousaf said meanwhile promised to shift into fifth gear, rather than downshift, as suggested by one of his colleagues in the independence government.
He is supported by Nicola Sturgeon's allies, but according to polls, Ms Forbes is the most popular both with independence voters and with all Scots.
According to a poll published on Sunday, 33% of Scots support Kate Forbes, compared to 18% for Humza Yousaf and 10% for Ash Regan.
The ballot is very important for the future of the United Kingdom, whose divisions between the four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been deepened by Brexit.
The announcement of Nicola Sturgeon's departure has left a huge void. In eight years in power – a record – the leader who arrived after the no victory in 2014 had succeeded in reviving her defeated camp and accumulated electoral success.
The independence cause, reason to be from the SNP, was revived by Brexit, which had been opposed by 62% of Scots, with the party seeing a break with London as the way back into the European Union.
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Scottish local government has jurisdiction over many matters, including education, health and justice. Scotland has 5.5 million people.
