The resignation of Humza Yousaf as the First Minister of Scotland represents a turning point in the political journey of the National Scottish Party (SNP). This circumstance underscores the SNP’s political turmoil and strategic miscalculations, which have dominated Scottish politics for over a decade. Understanding the reasons behind the resignation of Humza Yousaf is crucial to comprehend Scottish politics and to make an insightful analysis of this matter.
Yousaf’s resignation after a year in power led to chaos in his pro-independence party.[1] Yousaf’s resignation occurred in the aftermath of the SNP’s unstable period, shaped by challenges in funding and the decline in public support for independence.
Due to the disagreements over climate policies, Yousaf decided to dissolve the coalition agreement with the Green Party, which later led to the collapse of the coalition government.[2] This decision backfired when the Green Party indicated their intention to oppose him with a vote of confidence. The collapse of the Coalition government triggered Yousaf’s resignation, underlining the tensions regarding political priorities and ideological differences. Hence, Yousaf’s resignation clashes with Nicole Sturgeon’s leaving, and her husband’s legal issues increased the turmoil within the party.[3] In summary, the turmoil within the party and the decisions Yousaf made as the First Minister were essential catalysts for his resignation.
Multiple factors caused Yousaf’s resignation and SNP’s broader difficulties. To begin with, the sudden termination of the coalition agreement with the Greens to share power demonstrates the loss of potential allies and deepened conflicts within the party. Thus, the sourcing issue between Sturgeon and Murrell weakened public trust in the SNP’s leadership, weakening the party’s reliability and legitimacy.[4]
Additionally, the international press claimed that Yousaf’s inefficient actions toward coalition governance and insufficient representation of the party agenda made this political issue more complicated.
Resignation of Yousaf’ has an essential impact on SNP and Scottish politics. It should be emphasized that the party requires leadership renewal and internal inspection due to increasing workload and intergroup conflict. Thus, opposition parties, such as the Labour Party, are making efforts to seek opportunities for the upcoming elections. Since the SNP needs a new leader, the minority situation in Holyrood paves the way for a challenge since any potential leader will need opposition party members’ support. This situation will favor Scottish opposition parties, especially in the new political period.
Early elections might be on the agenda if opposition parties unite their power to prevent the newly appointed leader. In this sense, there is a high possibility that the SNP and the Labour Party might engage in an election. However, the ruling party has not given up on choosing a new leader with the members of parliament’s united votes. For this reason, this scenario depends on who the new candidate for SNP will be and if the candidate will reach a sufficient number of votes. Yousaf promised to be in position until the new candidate was elected, while Scotland’s political future was unknown.
Furthermore, due to the political uncertainty in Scotland, the future path for independence and dynamics regarding governance should also be underlined.
The resignation of Humza Yousaf as the First Minister is an example of how Scottish politics is interconnected with external factors, internal dynamics, and strategic advancements. The challenges that the SNP has been facing are essential to examine for understanding Scotland’s need for independence and its close ties with the United Kingdom.
To conclude, the resignation of Humza Yousaf implies a significant milestone in Scotland’s uncertain politics. SNP’s dissolution of the coalition agreement with the Greens, which also led to Yousaf’s resignation, shows how dismissible the coalition government is and how essential it is to gain trust and collaboration within the government. There is an ongoing debate on finding a replacement for Yousaf within the SNP, such as with John Swinney and Kate Forbes.[5] However, regardless of who the new First Minister will be, they will have many responsibilities in this environment. While Scotland undergoes this complicated transition period of time, the result of this election will determine the country’s future.
[1] “Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf resigns, throwing pro-independence party into chaos”, CNN, https://edition.cnn.com/2024/04/29/europe/humza-yousaf-resigns-scotland-snp-gbr-intl/index.html, (Date of Accession: 29.04.2024).
[2] Ibid.
[3] “Humza Yousaf Resigns as Scotland’s First Minister”, New York Times, https://www.nytimes.com/2024/04/29/world/europe/scotland-humza-yousaf-resigns-snp.html, (Date of Accesion: 30.04.2024).
[4] Ibid.
[5] “Scotland leader Humza Yousaf resigns in latest setback for independence”, Washington Post, https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2024/04/29/scotland-humza-yousaf-resign/, (Date of Accesion: 30.04.2024).
