London, Thanasis Gavos

Her decision to resign as Prime Minister of Scotland and the leadership of the Scottish National Party (SNP) when her replacement is chosen from the internal party process, Nicola Sturgeon announced at an emergency press conference in Edinburgh.

As he said, “I know in my mind and heart that the time has come for me to leave». She added that it is a “really difficult” decision for her, but one that arises “out of a sense of duty and love for her party and country.”

After clarifying that this was not a reaction to “difficult short-term issues” or a lack of resilience on her part, she said it arose from a “deeper and longer-term” assessment of conditions over several weeks.

He explained that he has come to the conclusion that she can no longer give the job of Prime Minister what is required and that it is therefore “not right” for her, for Scotland, for the SNP and for the cause of Scottish independence for her to remain in office.

As he characteristically noted, “I am a human being as well as a politician” and she knows she has a duty to say now that she cannot continue for another year or more in her position, given the challenges facing Scotland.

However, she also admitted that public opinion about her as Prime Minister is now strongly polarized, preventing constructive dialogue.

In recent weeks Ms Sturgeon has been embroiled in a heated row with the Scottish opposition and the central government at Westminster over Scotland’s gender identity law.

Her law making it easier to legally recognize gender reassignment in Scotland was approved by the local parliament of Holyrood, but then overturned by central government in London.

Political analysts also note that an SNP caucus conference is scheduled for next month to discuss the best strategy to push forward the independence bid. Ms Sturgeon’s proposal was to label the next UK general election, in the Scottish seats, as a “de facto referendum” on independence. This proposal, however, was rejected by many members of her party.

An emotional Ms Sturgeon said serving Scotland in the highest office was the highest honour, while she noted she was not leaving politics, saying she would continue to support the campaign for an independent Scotland.