Humza Yousaf’s mother has joked she will “clip” her son around the ear if he doesn’t find time to listen to her now he is the leader of the SNP.
The politician’s parents said they were “very proud” of their son following his victory in the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon as party leader.
He is set to become Scotland’s sixth First Minister and the first person of colour to hold the role.
His mum, Shaaista, said it’s been “nail-biting” watching the contest play out.
“It’s your son,” she said. “He’s campaigning every day, working very hard and you just want everything to work out.
“Negative stuff is always hard to take, especially when there’s a lot of mudslinging against your son.
“The last few months have been nerve-wracking and now everything has come together and we are so relieved and really proud of him.”
STV NewsHumza’s mum, speaking at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh where her son’s victory was announced, said while his religion is important to him, SNP members voted for him based on what he stood for.
She said: “We always had hope and faith in the Scottish people that this is a balanced society.
“They’ve looked at the man, what he stands for, how he is and how he behaves and what sort of politician he is.
“Obviously his faith is very important to him, and his background, but at the end of the day who he is as a politician is what they’re looking at and what they voted for.”
If MSPs vote for Humza though on Tuesday, he will become Scotland’s first Muslim leader.
Born to a Pakistani father and a Kenyan mother, Humza paid tribute to his heritage during his victory speech, saying that when his family arrived in Scotland they “barely knew a word of English”.
He said: “They could not have imagined in their wildest dreams that their grandson would one day be on the cusp of being the next first minister of Scotland.”
Asked if she ever saw this day coming, Shaaista told STV News: “I think because Humza is so hard working and has such faith in his party and what he stands for, we always believed that if the situation came and he stands for it he could succeed.
“He always had such faith in his own ability and the support of other colleagues.”
And asked if he will have time to listen to his mum now he is the leader of the SNP, his mother said: “Well he better. I’m still his mum. I’ll clip him around the ear if he doesn’t.
“But that’s just a joke.”
She continued: “We are very, very proud of him and looking at the future we are very positive as well because of what he’ll bring to his leadership.
“I’ll think he’ll be a very unique leader because of his personality and the way he his, his background and I think all that will come into play and we are looking forward to his success.”
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