Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon Resigns

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced her resignation at a press conference in Edinburgh on Wednesday.

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"I am announcing my intention to step down as First Minister and leader of my party. I will remain in office until my successor is in place," said Sturgeon, who is also a member of the Scottish National Party (SNP).

"I consider this decision to be the right one for me, my party and the country. I hope it can also be the right one for our politics. If all parties were to take this opportunity to try to de-polarise public debate just a bit, to focus more on issues, and to reset the tone and tenor of our discourse," she added.

Over the past few weeks, Sturgeon has been heavily criticized for her reform of the Gender Recognition Act, which was blocked by the British government. Her proposal lowered the legal age from 18 to 16 years for people to decide to transition between genders.

She also recalled that she has dealt with "a large number of conflicting emotions" since November 2022, when the British Supreme Court closed the door on her plan to organize a pro-independence referendum without the authorization of London.

Sturgeon became party leader and head of the Scottish government in November 2014 following the independence referendum that year. Later, she was re-elected in 2021 with an almost absolute majority and with the promise of holding a new referendum in 2023.

This issue will be debated by her party on March 19 in Edinburgh. At this meeting, the nationalists will have to choose whether or not the next elections will be used as a "de facto" referendum. This option, however, has been questioned by some SNP members who do not consider it the most appropriate route to independence.