She was in this position for more than eight years.
The leader of the Scottish National Party and First Minister of Scotland (Head of Government) Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation at a hastily convened press conference in Edinburgh, the BBC reports.
In announcing her resignation, Sturgeon said the position was “the best job in the world” and that she had experienced “the hardest hours and the hardest days” in the role. At the same time, she emphasized that it is extremely important to “almost instinctively feel when it's time to give way to someone else.” Sturgeon has been in office for more than eight years.
She added that the decision was not a response to immediate problems, but rather the result of a deep and long-term assessment.
“Is it right for me to continue? And more importantly, will it be right for the country, for my party and the cause of independence to which I have dedicated my life?” – said Sturgeon, adding that the answer to these questions is “no”.
Sturgeon will remain in office until her successor is elected. She is the longest-serving First Minister and the first woman to hold the position. Sturgeon said it was an “unparalleled privilege” to take on the role.
Sturgeon has been at the center of Scottish politics for a decade and has become synonymous with the independence movement since coming to power in 2014.
However, the Scottish National Party has recently faced a number of difficulties, which have caused controversy both within and outside the party. In addition, the prospects for a second independence referendum, for which Sturgeon has actively advocated in recent years, remain unclear at the moment.
Sturgeon entered politics in 1999 in the new composition of the Scottish Parliament as a regional deputy for Glasgow. Sturgeon's first major test in government was the swine flu epidemic in 2009, when she was deputy first minister and health minister. Later, Sturgeon took over the post of Minister for Oversight of the Planning of the Independence Referendum. After the failure of the referendum in 2014, she took the position of the first minister of Scotland.
Read also: The leadership of Scotland once again expressed the desire for independence from Britain
Earlier it was reported that the Supreme Court of Great Britain ruled that Scotland cannot hold a second independence referendum.
Sturgeon said at the time that she was disappointed by the decision, but vowed to continue to push for Scottish independence.
The first independence referendum Scotland from Great Britain took place in 2014. Then 55% of the population opposed such a step. At the same time, on June 23, 2016, during the referendum on the withdrawal of Great Britain from the EU, 62% of Scots voted for maintaining membership.
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It is worth noting that in these two referendums, more Scots voted for Britain than for the Scottish National Party .
