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Scottish Parliament to elect next first minister Humza Yousaf to be formally elected as first minister
(about 3 hours later)
Humza Yousaf is set to take the top job Mr Yousaf won the SNP leadership on Monday after narrowly defeating Kate Forbes
The Scottish Parliament will later vote to elect Scotland's sixth first minister. Humza Yousaf is to be formally elected as Scotland's sixth first minister in vote in the Scottish Parliament.
Newly elected SNP leader Humza Yousaf is almost certain to take the top job with a simple majority vote as the head of the party with the most MSPs. The new SNP leader is virtually certain to become the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government by winning a majority of the votes.
He narrowly won the party leadership by just over 2,000 of the 50,490 votes. The leaders of the three opposition parties - the Conservatives, Labour and Lib Dems - are expected to stand against him.
The 37-year-old is the first Muslim to lead a major UK party and is set to become the first ethnic minority leader of a devolved government. But none has any prospect of winning the contest.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar and Scottish Liberal democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton will all stand in the election. The Scottish Greens - who have a power-sharing agreement with the SNP - have already said they will back Mr Yousaf, which should ensure he wins a majority in the first round of voting when the process begins at about 14:20.
However, none of the opposition leaders have any prospect of winning. All of the candidates will make a brief speech before the vote, with Mr Yousaf expected to be formally sworn in as first minister in a brief ceremony at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday.
Can Humza Yousaf unite the SNP?
Who is Humza Yousaf, the new SNP leader?
How will Scotland's new first minister be appointed?How will Scotland's new first minister be appointed?
Humza Yousaf succeeds Nicola Sturgeon as SNP leader He will start forming his new cabinet team later this week, and will face opposition leaders for the first time at the weekly First Minister's Questions on Thursday.
Live reaction as Humza Yousaf wins SNP leadership Mr Yousaf won the SNP leadership on Monday after narrowly defeating Kate Forbes by 26,032 votes to 23,890 once the second preference votes of Ash Regan - who finished a distant third - were reallocated.
The latest headlines from Scotland Mr Yousaf had been serving as health secretary and was seen as being Ms Sturgeon's preferred successor - with some pundits surprised at how close the final result was.
Mr Yousaf defeated rivals Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and Ash Regan in a leadership contest that exposed deep divisions within the party. Despite the turmoil of the campaign, which saw Ms Forbes launch a highly personal attack on Mr Yousaf's competence in a live TV debate, both of the defeated candidates congratulated the new leader on his success and urged the party to unite behind him.
He failed to win a majority in the first round of voting, but won 52.1% of the votes after second preference votes from Ms Regan - who was eliminated after finishing third - were redistributed. Ms Sturgeon paid tribute to all three candidates for "rising to the challenge" during the leadership contest, adding: "Most of all I congratulate Humza Yousaf and wish him every success.
Ms Forbes came second with 47.9% of the votes when second preferences were included, with Mr Yousaf receiving 26,032 votes and Ms Forbes 23,890. "He will be an outstanding leader and first minister and I could not be prouder to have him succeed me."
Both defeated candidates congratulated him on his success and urged voters to unite behind the party. Neil Gray, the culture minister who managed Mr Yousaf's leadership campaign, has said that the new first minister would have have conversations with both Ms Forbes and Ms Regan about bringing them into government.
The SNP faced a fractious lead-up to Mr Yousaf's successful election, with the party's record in government facing criticism as well as a row over membership figures. Speaking to the BBC's Good Morning Scotland, Mr Gray also rejected calls by Scottish Labour for an election to be held.
The Scottish Greens said its council had voted unanimously to continue to support the agreement with the SNP and for its MSPs to back Mr Yousaf in the vote to become the next first minister. He told the programme: "Humza has a very clear mandate, I think that will be earned by his election today and he absolutely has the power to govern going forward".
Scottish Greens co-leader Patrick Harvie told BBC Radio Scotland's Drivetime programme that both Kate Forbes and Ash Regan made it clear in their campaigns that they would not keep the co-operative spirit in the agreement. The SNP repeatedly called for a general election during last year's Conservative leadership campaign, arguing that whoever took over from Boris Johnson would have no mandate because they had been picked by Tory party members rather than the country as a whole.
The new first minister can begin forming a cabinet after the election, with minister appointments expected to be made later this week. But Mr Gray said: "The democratically elected MSPs who choose the first minister through a ballot in the Scottish Parliament have that opportunity to do so today.
The successful candidate will also face their inaugural First Minister's Questions on Thursday. "This is a different situation than what we faced when Gordon Brown took over from Tony Blair, for instance, where there wasn't an election or, indeed, the various Conservative leaders who have been elected by the party over the last few years."
Mr Yousaf is currently Scotland's health secretary and he had been the clear favourite with the bookmakers during the contest. Old tensions to remain for SNP's new leader
5 Minutes On - The New SNP Leader - BBC Sounds Mr Yousaf described himself as the "luckiest man in the world" after being confirmed as the new SNP leader and pledged to be a "first minister for all of Scotland."
Read more stories on Scottish politics He told voters he would "work every minute of every day to earn and re-earn your respect and your trust" and said he would "kickstart" a grassroots campaign that would "ensure our drive for independence is in fifth gear".
He was seen as the "continuity candidate" following Nicola Sturgeon and was widely assumed to be her preferred successor. He added: "The people of Scotland need independence now more than ever before, and we will be the generation that delivers independence for Scotland."
He had by far the most endorsements from MSPs and MPs, including most of Ms Sturgeon's inner circle. Speaking to ITV News after his victory, Mr Yousaf said he would ask the UK government to grant formal consent to hold another referendum "right away".
However, his track record in government was criticised throughout the contest. Downing Street has already said it will not change its stance in opposing a referendum, with the prime minister's spokesman saying he would instead be focused on the "issues that matter" to people like reducing inflation and tackling the cost of living crisis.
The health service faced record waiting times under his watch, although he has said that issue is not unique to Scotland. Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said it was "obvious that Humza Yousaf has the wrong priorities for Scotland" as he confirmed he would stand against him in the first minister vote.
Speaking after being confirmed as the new leader at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Ms Yousaf said it would be "the greatest honour and privilege of my life" to be the next first minister. Mr Ross added: "During the leadership election he focused on independence above everything else and therefore I think it's right that the people of Scotland hear voices within parliament".
He pledged to lead Scotland to independence by kickstarting a grassroots campaign. Labour's health spokeswoman Jackie Baillie claimed that Mr Yousaf had a "woeful record" in government.
She added: "As transport minister the trains never ran on time, as justice secretary he trashed the justice system, he has been the worst health secretary in the history of devolution and I am worried he has simply failed upwards, is out of his depth and is incompetent and I worry for the country."
Profile: The SNP's new leader Humza YousafProfile: The SNP's new leader Humza Yousaf
After being voted leader of the Scottish National Party, we ask - who is Humza Yousaf?After being voted leader of the Scottish National Party, we ask - who is Humza Yousaf?
Available now on BBC iPlayer (UK only).Available now on BBC iPlayer (UK only).
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