Ajit Karn
After more than eight years in charge of Scotland’s devolved government, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation on Wednesday. The unexpected decision rocked UK politics on both sides of the border.
In “my brain and in my heart,” the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), who has been in charge for over ten years and has been campaigning for Scottish independence, she said, she felt it was time to step down.
The 52-year-old said she will continue to serve as first minister until the SNP chooses a new leader and as a member of the Scottish Parliament at least until the next election, which is scheduled for 2026.
After coming under increasing criticism on her strategies for independence and regarding transgender rights, she leaves.
However, Nicola Sturgeon stressed that her decision to resign was “not a response to short-term demands” and “comes from a deeper and longer-term evaluation” during a hurriedly scheduled news conference.
She responded, “I know it may sound abrupt, but I have been struggling with it for a few weeks, although at varying intensities.
She said, “I am a politician and a human person.
“The only way to accomplish this task is to fully dedicate yourself to it. Nothing less is worthy of the nation. However, nobody can really do it for very long.”
The word “Formidable”
Political friends and foes alike expressed respect in the UK; Prime Minister Rishi Sunak praised Nicola Sturgeon for her “long-standing service” and wished her well in her future endeavours.
Alister Jack, the minister of state for Scotland in the UK administration, described her as “a strong politician” and urged the SNP to “leave its divisive fixation with independence.”
Michelle O’Neill, the vice president of the pro-Irish party Sinn Fein, who will serve as Northern Ireland’s first minister, also praised her “friend” Sturgeon, saying that she “leaves a legacy for which anybody in politics or public life would be rightfully proud.”
Sturgeon, who assumed control of Scotland in 2014 and made history by becoming the country’s first female prime minister, pledged to keep up the fight for Scottish independence while defending her record on the crucial matter.
She said, “I’ll be there to support him or her every single step of the way. I fully think that my successor, whomever he or she may be, will lead Scotland to independence.
As she fought for a second referendum, Sturgeon oversaw the SNP’s historic electoral triumph.
She assumed over after the last referendum, in which a majority of Scots rejected leaving the UK by more than ten percentage points, and has steadfastly pushed for another one ever since.
However, the UK government, which must sanction the conduct of another vote, has lately stalled her.
Despite Scotland voted against Brexit in 2016, it continues to maintain that the vote in September 2014 was a once-in-a-generation event and has refused to permit another.
– Retract –
On a platform of calling a fresh independence referendum after Brexit, the SNP won a fourth straight term in office in Edinburgh in 2021, garnering the greatest proportion of the electorate.
However, it fell one short of a clear majority and formed an alliance with the Greens to maintain power.
Scotland’s legislature and executive branch were established in 1999 as a result of devolution measures introduced by the Labour administration in London at the time.
However, since 2021, the movement for independence has slowed as recent surveys suggest waning support in Scotland for secession.
After the Supreme Court ruled with the UK government in denying a new referendum in November, some detractors, including some within the SNP, have accused Sturgeon of failing to provide a persuasive argument on the matter.
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After becoming involved in a debate about whether transgender women may be confined in jails with only female inmates, she has also come under fire for her support of transgender rights.
Despite this, she vowed to keep her position as first minister as late as last month, telling the BBC that she was “nowhere near” prepared to step down in the wake of Jacinda Ardern’s unexpected resignation as prime minister of New Zealand.
The main candidate for the position of successor is finance secretary Kate Forbes, but Sturgeon announced on Wednesday that she would not publicly support her choice.
