Scottish separatists began voting on Monday to elect their leader to become the new Prime Minister of Scotland after the surprise resignation of Nicola Sturgeon in mid-February, a particularly important election for the future of the United Kingdom.
Three candidates are in the running to succeed Ms Sturgeon as leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP): local finance minister Kate Forbes, whose Tory remarks have sparked controversy in her left-leaning party, local health minister Humza Yousaf, the first Muslim member of the Scottish government, and Ash Regan, a former minister who resigned last year.
All three have promised to take up the torch for independence carried for eight years by Nicola Sturgeon, who announced that she was throwing in the towel on February 15, explaining that she no longer had the necessary energy.
However, she remains in office during the transition. The name of his successor is to be announced on March 27, after an unprecedented ballot since 2004 for the independence party.
After the failure of the first independence referendum in 2014, Ms Sturgeon wanted a second consultation, which London strongly opposed, backed by a Supreme Court ruling last year.
The Prime Minister then announced that she would make the local elections in 2026 a de facto referendum for or against independence, a controversial choice even within her party when the polls show an electorate very divided on the question and even desires for independence at half mast.
According to a YouGov poll for the Sky News channel published on Monday, 46% of respondents are in favor of independence (compared to 50% last month). Including the undecided, the proportion drops to 39%.
Nicola Sturgeon also found herself in trouble after London blocked a controversial law she had pushed through on gender transitions.
Kate Forbes, a 32-year-old candidate and devout Christian, was particularly fiercely opposed. Seen as a rising star in the party, she has repeatedly shared her conservative stances, including on LGBTQ issues and having children out of wedlock.
Another candidate to succeed Nicola Sturgeon, Ash Regan, 49, resigned from the government over rejection of the controversial bill last year.
Humza Yousaf, 37, is the only candidate who has pledged to uphold the prime minister's progressive social policies. “I am the only candidate who has said unequivocally that he will protect everyone,” he said Thursday during a televised debate.
In an independence movement in full introspection, Kate Forbes estimated Monday that the path to independence must be "gradual" to convince those who had voted against in 2014.
Humza Yousaf meanwhile promised to "shift into fifth gear", rather than downshift, as suggested by one of his colleagues in the independence government.
He is backed by allies of Nicola Sturgeon but according to polls, Ms Forbes is the most popular both among independence voters and among Scots as a whole.
According to a poll published on Sunday, 33% of Scots support Kate Forbes, against 18% for Humza Yousaf and 10% for Ash Regan.
The poll is very important for the future of the United Kingdom, whose divisions between the four constituent nations (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) have been deepened by Brexit.
The announcement of Nicola Sturgeon's departure left a huge void. In eight years in power - a record - the leader who arrived after the "no" victory in 2014 had managed to revive her defeated camp and accumulated electoral success.
The independence cause, the raison d'être of the SNP, was revived by Brexit, which had been opposed by 62% of Scots, the SNP seeing a break with London as the way to return to the European Union.
Scottish local government is responsible for many matters including education, health and justice. Scotland has 5.5 million inhabitants.
03/13/2023 19:02:05 - Edinburgh (AFP) - © 2023 AFP
