He is now alone. The only candidate for the post of Prime Minister of Scotland, John Swinney should, barring cataclysm, take the helm of this country and its 5.5 million inhabitants. Her main potential rival, Kate Forbes, 34, has given up on entering the race. Pillar of the independence party SNP, John Swinney hopes to be able to make the voice of his people heard by the British crown.
He will succeed Humza Yousaf, who announced his resignation on Monday due to hiccups with environmentalists, barely a year after succeeding the charismatic Nicola Sturgeon. Sturgeon’s Deputy Prime Minister between 2014 and 2023, John Swinney is a party faithful. “I am running to bring the SNP together, to deliver economic growth and social justice,” he said.
A better future “by being independent”
The veteran has not hidden his political wishes. “I want to unite the SNP and Scotland for independence.” Aged 60, the politician believes that “Scotland’s future will be better as an independent country”.
The SNP holds 63 seats out of 129, far ahead of the various opposition parties but two votes short of an absolute majority. Although this party has dominated Scottish political life since 2007, its popularity has declined considerably. It is suffering from the fading momentum for independence but also from an ongoing police investigation into its finances.