Outgoing Scottish Leader Says Confident Successor Will Lead Scotland To Independence

Faizan Hashmi Published March 23, 2023 | 10:07 PM

Outgoing Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday expressed confidence that her successor will lead Scotland to become an independent country and will successfully protect and advance Scottish interests

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2023) Outgoing Scottish First Minister and leader of the Scottish National Party Nicola Sturgeon on Thursday expressed confidence that her successor will lead Scotland to become an independent country and will successfully protect and advance Scottish interests.

In February, Sturgeon announced that she intended to resign after eight years in office. Scotland's leader initiated the process of electing a new party leader and said she would remain in office until her successor is elected.

"We face many challenges, but I have every confidence that my successor who will be standing here next week will continue to lead this country forward, will continue to take decisions in the interest of this country and will lead this country to becoming an independent nation," Sturgeon said during her final first minister's questions in the Scottish parliament.

There are currently three candidates in the race to succeed Sturgeon, including Scottish Finance Secretary Kate Forbes, former Scottish Minister for Community Safety Ash Regan and Scottish Health Secretary Humza Yousaf.

The voting among SNP members began on March 13 and will end on March 27, with the results expected to be announced later that day.

The matter of independence has been important for Scotland for years. Last June, Sturgeon proposed a new vote on Scotland's independence to be held on October 19, 2023. Former UK prime ministers Boris Johnson and Liz Truss stated that they would not allow a second referendum since the Scottish people had already decided to stay within the United Kingdom in a 55-to-45 percent vote in 2014.

In late November, the UK Supreme Court ruled that it was illegal to hold a referendum on the independence of Scotland without the consent of the UK government.