Nicola Sturgeon, former First Minister of Scotland, has declared her decision to step down as an MSP. The ex-SNP leader has confirmed that she will not seek re-election in the Holyrood election scheduled for May next year. In a statement shared on social media, she acknowledged that making this choice was not easy for her. Sturgeon expressed her belief that the time has come for her to explore different opportunities in a new phase of her life and to pave the way for a new representative to emerge.
After serving eight years as Scotland’s First Minister and being the first woman to occupy the position, Sturgeon decided to resign from her leadership role in March 2023. Her departure marked the beginning of a tumultuous period for both her and the SNP. Following her resignation, she was arrested and subsequently released without charge in June 2023 as part of a police investigation into SNP finances. Sturgeon maintains her innocence in the matter, while her husband, Peter Murrell, the former SNP chief executive, has been charged with embezzlement of party funds. In January of the following year, Sturgeon disclosed that she and Murrell had chosen to end their marriage.
In a letter addressed to her constituents, Sturgeon highlighted various policies she had introduced during her tenure, including the Scottish Child Payment and expanded early years education programs. Having joined the SNP in 1986 with the goal of contributing to the advancement of a fair and prosperous Scotland, Sturgeon reiterated her commitment to the country’s quest for independence. Although she is preparing to exit elected politics, she expressed her intention to continue supporting the realization of this ambition through alternative means.
Nicola Sturgeon succeeded Alex Salmond as the SNP leader and First Minister in 2014, and the pair, who were once close allies, experienced a fallout due to her government’s handling of harassment complaints against him. Subsequently, Salmond passed away at the age of 69 while attending a conference in North Macedonia in October 2024. Sturgeon led the SNP to several electoral victories at various levels, most notably securing a significant win in the 2015 general election, where the party claimed 56 out of the 59 seats in Scotland
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
