Mr Yousaf is a close ally of Ms Sturgeon and is generally seen as the "continuity candidate" who would seek to continue the work of the outgoing first minister. He is the only one of the three contenders to have said they would challenge the UK government's block on Ms Sturgeon's controversial gender recognition reforms in the courts, arguing that independence will only be won if the party continues to push "progressive values". But he has stressed that he would only go to court if the legal advice suggested that a challenge could be successful. Mr Yousaf has distanced himself from Ms Sturgeon's plan to use the next election as a de facto referendum, saying that he would instead seek to build a "consistent majority" in favour of independence and it "isn't good enough to have polls that put support for independence at 50% or 51%".
But he has attempted to reach out to more impatient independence supporters by saying he would consider calling a snap Holyrood election to test support for leaving the UK. Mr Yousaf also rejected claims that the party hierarchy was doing everything it could to ensure he won the leadership contest following allegations that the shortened campaign was specifically designed to favour him.
And he has said he would be willing to listen to concerns over controversial policies such as proposals for a new national care service and the bottle return scheme.
Speaking to the php php's Sunday Show earlier in the contest, Mr Yousaf insisted that he was his "own man and will do things my own way". Mr Yousaf added: "I have a lot of admiration, as you would imagine, for the excellent work Nicola Sturgeon has done as first minister.
"But she had a certain leadership approach. Mine would be less inner circle and more big tent." Critics claim that Mr Yousaf has "failed upwards" with few accomplishments to show for his time in government, with Labour's Jackie Baillie describing him as "the worst health secretary on record" who "now aspires to be the worst first minister on record".But the most withering assessment has come from his fellow SNP leadership contender Kate Forbes, who told Mr Yousaf during a live STV debate that: "You were transport minister and the trains were never on time, when you were justice secretary the police were stretched to breaking point, and now as health minister we've got record high waiting times".
Mr Yousaf's clashes with Ms Forbes were a key feature of the contest, with Mr Yousaf claiming his rival's views on social issues such as gay marriage, trans rights and abortion would see the party "lurch to the right".
But Mr Yousaf has also faced questions over his failure to take part in the final vote on gay marriage in 2014, which he said was due to having a vital meeting about a Scot who was being held on death row in Pakistan on blasphemy charges. Alex Salmond, who was first minister at the time, told Sky News that Mr Yousaf had missed the vote because of religious pressure from a Glasgow mosque - an allegation Mr Yousaf has strongly denied.
