Scotland Set For New Leader As Independence Quest Stalls

Faizan Hashmi Published March 27, 2023 | 08:40 AM

Edinburgh, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 27th Mar, 2023 ) :A new Scottish first minister will be named on Monday, with the leader facing the daunting task of reviving a faltering independence movement after Nicola Sturgeon's surprise resignation.

Members of the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) wrap up two weeks of voting at 12:00 pm (1100 GMT), with the result to be announced later in the day.

Finance minister Kate Forbes and health minister Humza Yousaf are favourites in the three-way race, according to an Ipsos poll conducted March 17-21.

Ash Regan, a former minister in Sturgeon's cabinet, is an outsider in the three-way contest.

At her last session in the Scottish Parliament as first minister on Thursday, Sturgeon said her successor would be either the second woman in the post or the first from a minority ethnic background.

"Either way, that will send the very powerful message that this, the highest office in the land, is one that any young person in Scotland can aspire to," she added.

Whoever wins takes over as support stagnates for the SNP's central policy -- independence for Scotland -- that Sturgeon has championed.