Humza Yousaf has been elected as leader of the Scottish National Party. At 37, he will become Scotland's youngest first minister.
Health Secretary Mr Yousaf, Finance Secretary Kate Forbes and former community safety minister Ash Regan have taken part in about 16 hustings as they vied for the top job to replace Nicola Sturgeon. The first minister announced in February that she would resign after more than eight years in the job once her successor had been chosen.
SNP members had until noon on Monday to cast their ballots. The fate of the three candidates was revealed on Monday at the BT Murrayfield stadium in Edinburgh. A vote in Holyrood will follow on Tuesday to select the next first minister.
Mr Yousaf said he was "honoured" to be entrusted by the SNP membership. He said: "It is hard for me to find the words to describe just how honoured I am to be entrusted by our membership of the SNP to be the party's next leader and to be on the cusp of being our country's next first minister."
He paid tribute to colleagues Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, adding: "It's felt we've seen each other more than our respective families.
"You both have put in an incredible shift and I know that collectively we will work hard as part of Team SNP."
The SNP's national secretary Lorna Finn announced that turnout in the party's leadership election was 70%. For first preferences in the STV system, Humza Yousaf took 24,336 (48%), Kate Forbes took 20,559 (40%) and Ash Regan took 5,599 (11%) of the vote. When second preferences were distributed in the second stage, Humza Yousaf took 26,032 (52%) and Kate Forbes took 23,890 (48%).
It has not been a smooth leadership contest for the party, with acrimonious clashes between candidates and the dramatic resignation of chief executive Peter Murrell following controversy over the transparency of SNP membership numbers. Mr Yousaf, 37, and Ms Forbes, 32, have particularly clashed over their record in government and their social views.
Viewed as the continuity candidate, Mr Yousaf had greater levels of public support from SNP parliamentarians at both Holyrood and Westminster than the other candidates, with high-profile backers including outgoing deputy first minister John Swinney, and new SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn. Mr Yousaf was first elected in 2011 as a regional MSP for Glasgow and was appointed a junior minister the following year, becoming justice secretary in 2018.
