LONDON ¨C The pro-independence Scottish National Party on Monday elected Humza Yousaf, the country¡¯s health secretary, as its top official, putting the 37-year-old minister on track to become the first Muslim to lead a democratic western European nation.
Yousaf emerged with a narrow victory in a bruising leadership race that followed the surprise resignation last month of Nicola Sturgeon, who had dominated Scottish politics for almost a decade as the country¡¯s first minister and leader of the SNP.
In choosing Yousaf, members of his party opted for the candidate thought most likely to stick with Sturgeon¡¯s progressive agenda, rejecting a more socially conservative contender, Kate Forbes.
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