Nicola Sturgeon has shocked Scottish politics by announcing her resignation as first minister after eight years in the job,
Independent reports.
On Wednesday morning she held a press conference announcing that she would trigger a Scottish National Party leadership contest to make way for a successor.
Ms Sturgeon told her audience that though her resignation "might feel too soon" to some in her country and party, "in my head and in my heart I know that time is now".
The decision "frees the SNP" on the issue of Scottish independence "to choose the path it believes to be the right one without worrying about the perceived implications for my leadership", she said.
The Scottish government leader has had a tricky few months. The latest poll by Panelbase this weeks shows 42 per cent of respondents now believe she should stand down.
She has seen her planned reforms to the gender recognition process blocked by the UK government, which overruled the Scottish Parliament with a so-called “section 35” order.
And last year she lost a court bid to hold a second independence referendum. The Supreme Court ruled that Holyrood could not lawfully legislate on the constitutional issue.
But despite the setbacks, opinion polls still suggest the SNP party would be by far the largest at a Scottish parliament election, beating both Labour and the Tories.
Ms Sturgeon however said that her resignation “is not a reaction to short-term pressures”, and was instead based on a “deeper, long-term assessment”.
