Scotland's First Minister announces out-of-the-blue resignation

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Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, the head of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and notorious fighter against Brexit and in favor of Scotland's independence, announced her resignation on Wednesday after almost a decade of holding the position.

Sturgeon's surprising announcment shocked the British political scene as she announced that in "my head and in my heart," she knew that this is the right time to depart her role as First Minister and leader of the SNP.

The 52-year-old, who has been recently facing pressure over her pro-independence tactics, noted that she will remain in office until her party elects a new leader.

Read more: Scotland health services 'under extreme pressure': Authorities

"This decision comes from a deeper and longer-term assessment," Sturgeon said in what seemed to be a last-minute arranged press conference.

The First Minister told reporters that her resignation was "not a reaction to short-term pressures," noting, "I know it may seem sudden, but I have been wrestling with it -- albeit with oscillating levels of intensity -- for some weeks."

Nicola Sturgeon has confirmed that she is stepping down as First Minister of Scotland.

She told a press conference that she knew it was the right time to stand down and said she will remain in office until her successor is elected | Read more: https://t.co/iCoqHLJlsq pic.twitter.com/uPMFc9ldOr

— RTÉ News (@rtenews) February 15, 2023

The SNP leader, who became the first woman to come to power in Scotland when she was elected in 2014, pledged to pursue Scotland's independence from the United Kingdom.

Sturgeon garnered huge support for her party as she pushed for a new independence referendum after the first one that took place in September of 214 fell short of reaching the required target by over 10%.

Following the results, the UK government denied Scotland from carrying out another vote on the matter, insisting that it was a once-in-a-generation event.

Sturgeon responded then to the [UK] government's decision stating she respected the ruling but was "disappointed", pledging to continue the fight for independence, saying Scotland’s “democratic right to choose our own future” was at stake.

She stated then that if Scotland cannot "choose our own future without Westminster consent," the idea of the UK as a voluntary partnership was exposed as a "myth".

Sturgeon's SNP won the 2021 Scottish parliamentary elections for the fourth consecutive time on a promise to hold a legally valid referendum after the Covid crisis eased but failed to land a majority, which required them to form an alliance with the Greens to remain in power.

The parliament in Scotland was established in 1999 under devolution reforms introduced by the UK government then ruled by the Labour party.

Sturgeon has been blamed by some members of her party, in addition to outside critics, for the current situation as they consider she has implemented a failed strategy to push for the independence referendum after the British Supreme Court rejected a new vote.

Despite all the mounting pressure, just last month, she confirmed to BBC that she was "nowhere near" leaving her position after the surprising resignation of New Zealand's Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.

Sturgeon's political allies expressed their disappointment over her decision, with SNP MP Stewart McDonald describing her resignation as an "enormous loss", calling the First Minister "the finest public servant of the devolution age".

"Her public service, personal resilience and commitment to Scotland is unmatched, and she has served our party unlike anyone else," McDonald added.