Humza Yousaf is “providing the leadership Scotland needs", according to SNP Depute Leader Keith Brown.
Mr Brown gave his view as the party marks the first anniversary of Mr Yousaf taking the helm of the party following a bitter leadership contest against former finance secretary Kate Forbes and Ash Regan, who later defected to Alex Salmond's Alba Party.
The internal election was called after the unexpected announcement by Nicola Sturgeon in February last year that she was to step down.
Weeks later Police Scotland stepped up its long running investigation into SNP finances.
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Mr Brown said Mr Yousaf's first year has seen the party taking "bold actions" to create a fairer society for everyone in Scotland - including tackling child poverty, resetting the Scottish Government's relationship with business, supporting Scotland’s just transition to net zero by investing in Scotland’s offshore renewable supply chain, and standing up for peace by being the first western leader to call for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
He added that Mr Yousaf also united the party to agree an independence strategy for the general election at the SNP conference last October.
“At a time when the Westminster parties have never been so out of touch with the people of Scotland, Humza Yousaf has shown himself to be the leader Scotland needs," Mr Brown said.
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“In the past year, the First Minister has put Scotland’s values and priories first at every turn - from delivering a budget that invests in our NHS and public services, to freezing council tax for households across Scotland to support people suffering from Westminster’s cost of living crisis, to resetting the Scottish Government's relationship with business.
"It is leadership - and policy decisions - based on clear values.
“And Humza Yousaf's leadership is in stark contrast to the Westminster parties and their Scottish branch offices.
READ MORE: Humza Yousaf celebrates SNP council tax freeze in Inverclyde
"Where we see other party leaders are abandoning their principles, Humza's values are in tune with people in Scotland.
"He stands up for Scotland and champions Scottish interests every day in the job.
“Where we see other party leaders hiding when things get tough, the First Minister has stood up with courage and integrity when it has mattered most - not least in leading calls for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
“That’s the leadership Scotland needs and that is the leadership we see in Humza Yousaf.
“And together, we will achieve the future that Scotland needs as an independent country.”
Most opinion polls have put the SNP ahead in terms of Westminster voting intentions, though also show that the party's lead over nearest rivals Labour has considerably narrowed.
Ipsos Mori's Scottish Political Monitor, run in partnership with STV News, and published last month showed that:
_ The SNP leads Labour in Scotland by 7 points on Westminster General Election voting intention.
_ Although the SNP remains the party most trusted by the Scottish public, trust in Scottish Labour has increased across a range of issues, including the NHS and the economy.
_ Support for Scottish independence is at a similar level to our last poll in November 2023, with Yes slightly ahead (53%).
However, research by Redfield & Wilton Strategies earlier this month suggested Labour leader Anas Sarwar had overtaken Mr Yousaf to be the public’s preferred choice for First Minister.
It was the first time that the Scottish Labour leader moved ahead of the SNP incumbent, although optimism for Mr Sarwar may be tempered by the fact that both rivals lag behind “don’t know”.
The same research also put the two parties neck and neck in general election voting intentions, which analysis predicted would leave Labour with the most Scottish MPs.
Ratings for both Mr Sarwar and Mr Yousaf dropped on the question of who would be the best first minister, the Labour leader by one point to 32 per cent and the SNP leader by two points to 31 per cent. Thirty-seven per cent of respondents said they did not know.
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