Nicola Sturgeon resigns as Scotland's first minister
Nicola Sturgeon, the leader of Scotland and the flag bearer for its independence, officially announced her surprise resignation on Wednesday. The Scottish National Party (SNP) leader made the announcement during a press conference in the Scottish capital, Edinburgh. Sturgeon will stay in office until the appointment of the new SNP leader, as per the news agency CNN.
Why does this story matter?
Sturgeon's resignation comes at a time when the SNP leader has been facing increasing tensions with the United Kingdom (UK) government in London over Scottish independence. Not only that, Westminster's recent move to block a Scottish law that will allow transgender people in Scotland to legally change their gender without undergoing a medical diagnosis was a huge blow to the SNP.
My resignation right for my party and Scotland: Sturgeon
At the Edinburgh press conference, Sturgeon stated that she knows the "time is now" for her to step down as the SNP leader and added that this is "right for me, for my party, and for the country." "First, though I know it will be tempting to see it as such, this decision is not a reaction to short-term pressures," the 52-year-old said.
Decision comes after long-term assessment: Sturgeon
While revealing the reason behind her resignation, Sturgeon said that she made the decision after a long-term and deep assessment. "This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment," she announced. The Scottish leader also confirmed that she would be functioning as the first minister of Scotland until a new SNP leader is chosen to replace her.
Video of SNP leader announcing her resignation
Know about Nicola Sturgeon
Sturgeon has been in office for nearly eight years and is Scotland's longest-serving first minister. She spent her political career pushing her party's ambition of breaking free from the UK and becoming an independent country. Last year, she also announced that Scotland would apply to rejoin the European Union (EU) that Britain had left under Brexit in 2020.
Sturgeon took over as first minister from Salmond in 2014
In November 2014, the 52-year-old became the first minister and took over the charge from former SNP leader Alex Salmond on the back of the independence referendum. However, nationalists failed to win the referendum, as 55% of people said no, and 45% said yes to the idea of breaking away from the UK as an independent nation.
She served SNP unlike anyone else: SNP leader McDonald
Fellow SNP leader and Glasgow South constituency MP Stewart McDonald also expressed his thoughts following the 52-year-old's sudden resignation. "Her public service, personal resilience and commitment to Scotland is unmatched, and she has served our party unlike anyone else," McDonald tweeted. "She will be an enormous loss as First Minister and SNP leader. Thank you!" he added.
McDonald's post on Sturgeon
Her leadership will be missed: Michelle O'Neill
Michelle O'Neill, former deputy First Minister of Northern Ireland, also took to Twitter and wrote a heartfelt message for Sturgeon. "It's with deep regret to see Nicola Sturgeon's resignation. Nicola is a formidable leader who very ably represented the best of Scotland as First Minister," O'Neill tweeted. "She made huge strides in advancing Scottish independence & standing up for Scottish interests," she added.
