Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon resigns from post after eight years
The Hindu
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has announced her intention to resign
Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon, the face of her country’s independence movement for eight years, has announced her intention to resign, amid criticism of her drive to make it easier for people to legally change genders.
Ms. Sturgeon made the announcement Wednesday during a news conference at her official residence in Edinburgh, saying that part of serving well is knowing when to make way for someone else.
“In my head and in my heart I know that time is now," she told reporters. "That it’s right for me, for my party and my country.”
Ms. Sturgeon, 52, has led Scotland since 2014, when Scots narrowly voted to remain part of the United Kingdom. While the referendum was billed as a once-in-a-generation decision on independence, Ms. Sturgeon and her Scottish National Party have pushed for a new vote, arguing that Britain’s departure from the European Union had changed the ground rules. The U.K. government has refused to allow a second referendum.
The first female leader of Scotland said that she had wrestled with the decision to leave, and that it was “not a reaction to short-term pressures”.
“Of course there are difficult issues confronting the government just now, but when is that ever not the case?'' she said.
The announcement caught political observers by surprise amid her staunch support for both independence and legislation that would make it easier for people in Scotland to legally change genders.