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Scottish independence at a crossroads in the SNP . leadership race

LONDON –

The Scottish National Party is considering Nicola Sturgeon a hard act to follow.

Scotland’s ruling party is holding a stiff contest to replace Sturgeon, a leader who has dominated Scottish politics, but has been deadlocked in his struggle for independence from Great Britain and split the party by transgender rights law.

Sturgeon, 52, announced his resignation in February after eight years as party leader and first minister of Scotland’s semi-autonomous government. Three members of the Scottish parliament are running to replace her: Finance Minister Kate Forbes, 32; Health Minister Humza Yousaf, 37 years old; and 49-year-old legislator Ash Regan. The winner of the SNP members’ vote will be announced on March 27.

The campaign broke through rifts within the party over Sturgeon’s political strategy, social issues and legacy.

Critics say a group around the former first minister holds too much power in the SNP. Those opponents were won when party chief executive Peter Murrell – Sturgeon’s 58-year-old husband – resigned on Saturday over a spat over the party’s dwindling membership.

The SNP has publicly denied an article reporting that its membership had dropped from more than 100,000 to just over 70,000 in the past year, before admitting it was true. Murrell accepted responsibility and gave up, saying that “although no attempt to mislead, I accept that this was the outcome.”

Regan welcomed Murrell’s departure, saying it was “unacceptable for the husband of the party leader to serve as CEO.” Forbes says the party base feels underpowered because “too few people make decisions in the SNP.”

Sturgeon’s resignation has opened a battle for the helm of the SNP, which currently holds 64 of the 129 seats in the Scottish parliament and rules in alliance with the much smaller Green Party.

In heated televised debates, Regan and Forbes attacked Yousaf — an ally of Sturgeon widely seen as a leading candidate — as the persistent candidate in a growing party. much needed change.

Forbes told the BBC in an interview that aired on Sunday: “We’re at a crossroads right now, arguing that the Scottish government needs to do more to prop up the weakened economy. due to Russia’s war in Ukraine, COVID-19 and Brexit. “We need to get serious about what works and what doesn’t.”

Forbes’ message appealed to some party members, who argued that the SNP under Sturgeon spent too much time focusing on divisive social issues rather than the economy and independence. Sturgeon’s departure was prompted by a backlash over legislation she supported to make it easier for people in Scotland to legally change their gender.

The Gender Recognition Bill has been hailed as a landmark piece of legislation by transgender rights activists, but has been opposed by some SNP members, who say it ignores the need to protect spaces for single-sex women, such as domestic violence shelters and rape crisis centers.

Forbes and Regan both oppose the law, which was passed by the Scottish parliament but blocked by the UK government. Yousaf supported it and warned the party could tilt to the right if led by Forbes, a socially conservative Christian who is seen as his main rival.

Forbes, of Scotland’s Liberal Evangelical Church, was criticized for saying her faith would prevent her from voting in favor of allowing same-sex couples to marry. She was not yet a legislator when the Scottish Parliament legalized same-sex marriage in 2014.

The leadership contest has sent SNP poll ratings plummeting – to the delight of the Labor and Conservative Party, who hope to win Scotland seats in the next UK-wide election , taking place at the end of 2024.

The tough race also reflects frustration within a party that, after 16 years in power in Edinburgh, has yet to achieve its main ambition: independence.

Scots voted to remain in the UK in a 2014 referendum seen as a once-in-a-generation decision. The SNP wanted a new vote, but the central government refused to allow one and the UK Supreme Court ruled that Scotland could not hold a vote without consent. of London.

Regan wants to put those obstacles aside by seeing the next Scottish election as a “trigger point” for independence, challenging the UK government not to recognize Scotland’s democratic choice to secede. declare.

Forbes and Yousaf are more cautious. Forbes called for more effort to win voters remaining in the UK, while Yousaf said he wanted to build a “stable, sustainable” majority for independence. Polls now show Scottish voters are evenly divided on the issue.

Scotland’s top historian Tom Devine says that with independence likely to be diminished in the immediate future, many voters have more pressing concerns — and that poses a risk to the SNP.

He told Scotland’s Herald newspaper: “The perception is that the mainstream of Scottish public opinion is primarily concerned with issues of (the health system), education standards, transport infrastructure and broader economy”. “Are parts of the electorate now starting to feel sidelined and conclude that the SNP government has failed to deliver on these important issues?”



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