Yesterday, Saturday, Scottish Health Minister Hamza Yusuf said he would run for leadership to replace Nicola Sturgeon as leader of the National Party and head of government to continue his duties.
On Twitter, the Minister of Health wrote: “I have decided to present myself as a candidate for the next First Minister of Scotland and leader of the National Party.”
Youssef is 37 years old, a Member of Parliament since 2011 and has also held many ministerial positions, and is a Muslim of Pakistani origin.
John Sweeney, the 58-year-old deputy prime minister, ruled himself out of the race last Thursday, saying his decision not to run was intended to make room for a “new concept” about the ruling party’s goals, including independence.
For its part, the Scottish National Party has announced that it will choose a new leader within 6 weeks through a vote of its members, which will end on 27 March.
Who is Hamza Yusuf?
Hamza Yusuf is the son of two immigrants who came to the UK in the 1960s, his mother is from Kenya and his father is from Pakistan.
He studied politics at the University of Glasgow, earning a master’s degree in 2007.
While at university, Yusuf was President of the Glasgow University Muslim Students Association (GUMSA) and also a prominent figure involved in student politics on the Student Representative Council.
He has served as an MP for Bashir Ahmed since Ahmed was elected as the first Scottish Muslim MP in 2007, Hamza then served as an MP for several MPs.
Hamza Yusuf also became the first non-white member and the first Muslim in the Scottish government when he was appointed a minister in 2012 at the age of 27, and was also the youngest minister to be appointed in the government.
He became the first ethnic minority in Scotland and the first Muslim cabinet minister when he was appointed Cabinet Secretary for Justice in 2018.
