Scottish Health Minister Hamza Yusuf won the presidency of the ruling National Party, making the way ahead for him to be the first Muslim head of the government of Scotland, in its history and the United Kingdom.
On Monday, Scottish Health Minister Hamza Yusuf was elected head of the ruling Scottish National Party, making the way ahead for him to be the first Muslim head of the government of Scotland, in its history and the United Kingdom.
With the accession of Yusuf, 37, to the position of Prime Minister of Scotland, he will also be the first person from an ethnic minority to hold this position in one of the devolved governments of the United Kingdom, and the first Muslim to also lead a major party in the country.
And competing for the position of leader of the Scottish National Party alongside Youssef are Finance Minister Kate Forbes and former Community Safety Secretary Ash Regan.
In the first round of voting, Youssef received 48.2 percent of the vote, followed by Forbes, who got 40.7 percent, and Ash Reagan, with 11.1 percent, according to the Scottish National Party.
Youssef won the second round by winning 52.1 percent, while Forbes got 47.9 percent of the vote.
The SNP commented on the result on Twitter: "Congratulations on the election of Hamza Yusuf as the new leader of the SNP and head of government in Scotland. Together let's continue to build a better Scotland."
Yusuf is set to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, who resigned last March from the post of Prime Minister as well as the leadership of the Scottish National Party.
Hamza Yusuf joined the Scottish National Party in 2005, and was also the first minister from South Asia, and the first Muslim cabinet minister to serve in the Scottish government.
In May 2011, Youssef was elected to the Scottish Parliament as an additional member for the Glasgow region when he was 26 years old, becoming at that time the youngest deputy to be elected to the Scottish Parliament.
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