[London = Miki Kato]Prime Minister Sturgeon of the Scottish Autonomous Government in northern England announced his intention to resign on the 15th. The ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) will proceed with the selection of the party leader to become the next prime minister, but with the loss of the leader who has led the independence movement for eight years, it is inevitable that the strategy will be reorganized.
Sturgeon announces his resignation at a press conference in Edinburgh on Thursday.
Sturgeon took over as prime minister about two months after the 2014 independence referendum was defeated by 45% to 55%. Since then, he has demonstrated outstanding leadership within the party, leading the SNP to victory in multiple general elections.
In the 2016 referendum in which the United Kingdom voted to leave the European Union (EU), Scotland won 62% of the vote to remain. The SNP has sought independence from the UK and EU membership, and has sought to hold a second referendum under Sturgeon’s strong leadership.
However, the British Conservative government did not approve the implementation, and the Supreme Court ruled in November last year that the referendum would require the approval of the British government. Mr. Sturgeon sought to break through the situation by positioning the next general election as a de facto referendum, but according to a poll released on the 14th, only 44% were in favor of independence, while 56% were against it. Voters are more interested in the economy, rising costs of living and national health care,” the Guardian reported.
Regarding Mr. Sturgeon’s sudden resignation,
The party also faced outcry last month after it imprisoned a transgender defendant, who turned into a woman after committing forced sex with multiple women when he was a man, in a women’s prison last month. Sturgeon was forced to change his decision, including ordering transfer to a men’s prison.
