The Scottish National Party expects to elect a new leader to replace outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf.
The Scottish government has survived a confidence vote, giving the Scottish National Party (SNP) the chance to elect a new leader to replace outgoing First Minister Humza Yousaf.
Yousaf’s decision to resign as first minister and SNP leader on Monday has plunged the party into chaos and raised hopes of the UK’s opposition Labor Party that it can regain Scottish seats and win a national election later this year.
Polls show Labor ahead or on par with the SNP in Scotland for the first time in a decade.
Yousaf said he would step down after ending a coalition with the Greens. It means the SNP is seeking a third leader in just over a year, undermining its once seemingly iron grip on power in the devolved Scottish government.
While the Greens made Yousaf’s position untenable by personally withdrawing confidence from him, they voted with the SNP against Wednesday’s vote of no confidence in the Scottish government.
The motion of no confidence was rejected by 70 votes to 58.
A government defeat would have resulted in the resignation of all ministers and most likely triggered an election in Scotland.
If that outcome is averted, Yousaf will remain in office until the SNP elects a new leader. Former SNP leader John Swinney and Yousaf’s old party leadership rival Kate Forbes have both said they are considering running.
Glasgow-born Yousaf, whose paternal grandparents and father emigrated to Scotland from Pakistan in the 1960s, was hailed as a polished communicator who the SNP hoped would be able to unite the fractured SNP.
“I never imagined that one day I would have the privilege of leading my country,” he said during his resignation speech. “When I was growing up, people who looked like me didn’t hold positions of political influence, let alone lead governments.”
Yousaf was the Muslim leader of a major political party and Scotland’s youngest elected leader. He took over the party in March last year, following the resignation of long-serving leader Nicola Sturgeon, who faced divisions in the party over the best path to Scottish independence and proposed a transgender recognition law.
Police have also investigated the SNP’s finances and Sturgeon’s husband has been charged with embezzling SNP funds. She was arrested and questioned but not charged. Both deny wrongdoing.
Analysts told Al Jazeera that the SNP was in crisis mode and that Yousaf’s resignation was a reflection of the party’s current downward trend as a political force.