Despite criticism and disagreement within Scotland and Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP), his position does not appear to have been overly stressed. In addition, there is no one clear successor to be appointed.
According to British correspondent Anne Saenen, the departure was a complete shock, but everything suggests it was a personal decision. “No one knew about this this morning,” said Saenen. “And for many Scots his departure is a shock, as Nicola Sturgeon is still very popular with his supporters.”
Longest prime minister
Sturgeon has been Scotland’s leader since 2014 and said in a speech she was proud to be the first woman and longest serving prime minister.
He led Scotland through the difficult years of the pandemic and said he only now realized what was being asked of him. He is now ‘up’, says Saenen.
The people of Scotland voted against independence in a referendum in 2014. Shortly thereafter, Sturgeon took office. He has made a new independence referendum a top priority since Brexit. The question now is how to continue that struggle after Sturgeon leaves as prime minister.
“That’s the big question,” Saenen agreed. “There’s no clear successor for Sturgeon – he’s left a political vacuum. Last year the government in London blocked any bids to hold a second independence referendum. But how it plays out now is an overwhelming question.”
Not completely free from politics
The prime minister said he had asked himself in recent weeks whether his term in office would be the best for “the country, the party and the issue of independence.” He came to the conclusion that it was not and therefore resigned, but did not say that he was leaving politics completely.
He did emphasize that his resignation was not the result of short-term political issues. For example, apart from the issue of independence, he recently clashed with the British government over laws that were supposed to make it easier for people to change their gender. London used a rare veto to block the law, reportedly out of concern for women’s safety.
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