Scotland's ruling SNP elects Humza Yousaf as new leader

The Scottish National Party (SNP) elected Humza Yousaf as their new leader on Monday following a five-week contest that was triggered by the surprise resignation of Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last month.

Yousaf was picked by the pro-independence party's 72,000 members. He is set to be confirmed as first minister on Tuesday.

Yousaf, who was considered the "continuity Sturgeon" candidate and is the current health minister, beat Finance Minister Kate Forbes and SNP lawmaker Ash Regan.

Sturgeon stood down after failing secure a second independence referendum for Scotland and in the wake of a transgender rights law that brought the devolved government in Edinburgh into conflict with the UK government in London.

The party holds 64 of the 129 seats in the Scottish parliament as well as 45 seats in the UK Parliament. But the leadership campaign has tanked the party's popularity in the polls, sparking hope among the Conservative and Labour parties that they could pick up some seats in the next UK-wide election, due by the end of 2024.