London, First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf announced on Monday his resignation from his position in anticipation of a vote of no-confidence in him in the Scottish Parliament following the collapse of the power-sharing agreement between the Scottish National Party (SNP), which Yousaf leads, and the Scottish Greens.
Humza Yousef said in a press conference that the decision to resign comes in the interest of the party and the country.
“I am not willing to trade my values and principles or do deals with whomever simply for retaining power,” Yousaf added.
He affirmed that he could have won the vote of confidence scheduled in Parliament this week by concluding a deal with another party but chose to resign.
“I have concluded that repairing the relationship across the political divide can only be done with someone else at the helm,” he said.
Yousaf explained that he will remain in his position until another leader of the SNP is elected to assume the position of First Minister.
Humza Yousaf’s resignation c
ame due to a dispute between him and the Scottish Greens after the SNP announced the abandonment of targets for reducing thermal emissions by 2030, which angered the Scottish Greens and led to the end of the power-sharing agreement concluded between the two parties since the era of former Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon in 2021.
The SNP has 63 seats in Parliament out of 129 seats, making it form a minority government with the Green Party. Parliamentary elections are held in Scotland every five years and were scheduled to take place in May 2026.
Pakistani origin Humza Yousaf was the first Muslim to hold the highest political position in Scotland when he assumed the leadership of the SNP and the presidency of the government in February 2023. He was also the youngest person to hold this position in Scottish history and the second Muslim to assume the presidency of a major party after Anas Sarwar, who is also of Pakistani origin and assumed the leadership of the Scottish Labour Party (SLP) in 2021.
Source: Qat
ar News Agency