First Minister of Scotland (head of the regional Scottish government) and leader of the Scottish National Party, Nicola Sturgeon, who has held these posts for the past eight years, announced regarding his resignation.
“Since my early days in this position, I have believed that part of service is knowing, almost instinctively, when the right time is to make way for another. And when that time comes, find the courage to do it… I know in my head and heart that the time is now,” she said, speaking at her residence in Edinburgh. “Given the challenges facing the country, my duty is to leave early,” said Nicola Sturgeon, adding that she does not leave politics at all.
Ms Sturgeon says she will remain in office until the party elects a new leader who will automatically become the new First Minister of Scotland. According to Ms. Sturgeon, the party leadership should present a “schedule” for the upcoming election of a new leader in the coming days.
Several painful blows have been dealt to the Scottish Government and to Mrs Sturgeon herself over the past few months. Most notable was the UK Supreme Court’s decision to end her plans for a new referendum on Scottish independence, and the government’s handling of a man accused of two rapes and coming out as a trans woman. The Scottish government first placed this man in a women’s prison, and then, under pressure from criticism, changed its mind.
The failure of the idea of a new referendum, the scandal around the transgender rapist and the problems of the economic plan have led to the fact that, according to a recent public opinion survey, the popularity of Ms Sturgeon herself, her party and even the idea of Scottish independence began to decline.
Under these conditions, experts began to talk regarding the increasing likelihood of the resignation of the first minister of Scotland. True, not so fast. Ms. Sturgeon herself has repeatedly stated that she does not intend to leave her post. Therefore, it was assumed that the change of power would be timed to coincide with the next elections to the Scottish Parliament, scheduled for 2025.
One of the most likely successors to Mrs. Sturgeon, experts call her deputy John Sweeney, who had already served as party leader for a short time in the early 2000s. For a long time he was a staunch supporter of Mrs. Sturgeon and is considered the most experienced politician and statesman in the region following Mrs. Sturgeon herself. In addition, by tradition, the deputy leader of the outgoing party becomes the new leader of the party. Nevertheless, the rise of Mr. Sweeney to power can in no way be considered unconditional. The first minister herself declined to name the person she would like to see as her successor.