Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf tendered his resignation on Monday, following a threat of no confidence vote looming against him on Wednesday.
Yousaf made history becoming the first non-white and first Muslim leader in Scotland, a little more than a year.
“I cannot tell you what an honour it is being the first minister of the country I love, the country I’m raising my family in and the only country I will ever call home,” Yousaf said from Bute House, the official residence of the First Minister
Yousaf, 39, was the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP).
He faced votes of no confidence after ending the SNP’s power sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens last Thursday.
Scotland’s coalition government collapsed following a bitter row over the Scottish government’s decision to abandon a major carbon emissions target.
The Bute House Agreement saw the Scottish Greens brought into government for the first time in 2021.
Yousaf was severely criticised in Scotland and from politicians across the U.K. over his decision.
“I think he showed very poor judgment to suddenly collapse a pro-independence majority government when we’d worked together really well for two and a half years, we’d achieved some great things,” Scottish Green Party co-leader Lorna Slater told Sky News.
Yousaf replaced Nicola Sturgeon as First Minister last March in a historic win. “People that looked like me were not in positions of political influence,” Yousaf said.
Following his resignation, the Scottish parliament will now have 28 days to find his successor through a majority vote among members of the Scottish Parliament.
In the event that a majority is not reached, an election will be called.
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