Scotland's health minister Humza Yousaf to run for country's leadership

Agencies | Edinburgh

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com   

Scottish Health Minister Humza Yousaf said on Saturday he would run in the leadership contest to replace Nicola Sturgeon as Scottish National Party (SNP) leader and first minister.

Yousaf becomes the first to publicly announce his intention to stand in the race after Sturgeon's surprise resignation earlier in the week saying she had become too divisive and too tired to carry on, Reuters reported.

"I have decided to put myself forward as a candidate to become Scotland's next First Minister, and Leader of the SNP," the 37-year old, who has been a member of the Scottish parliament since 2011 and has also held several ministerial roles, said on Twitter.

John Swinney, the 58-year-old deputy first minister, ruled himself out Thursday, saying his decision not to be a candidate was to create the space for a "fresh perspective" on the governing SNP's aims, including on independence.

The SNP has said it will choose a new leader within six weeks through a ballot of its members, which will close on March 27. Sturgeon, 52, said she was not leaving politics and that she would stay on until a successor has been picked.