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Alex Salmond, Scotland’s former first minister, has died, it was announced on Saturday.
He went to North Macedonia to give a speech. He was 69 years old.
A fiery orator and a prominent figure in Scottish politics, Salmond transformed the electoral appeal of the Scottish National Party, bringing them to power in 2007 in the devolved parliament at Holyrood , where the SNP remains in power.
In 2011, the majority the SNP won in parliament created momentum towards independence from the UK, setting the stage for the 2014 referendum.
The election campaign sparked a fierce debate, which ended in victory for the UK’s status quo and his resignation as first minister and party leader.
In 2018, he was charged with sexual misconduct but two years later, a jury acquitted him of all 13 counts in a two-week trial.
The scandal damaged his relationship with his successor, Nicola Sturgeon, and more broadly the SNP. Since 2021, he has led the pro-independence Alba Party.
John Swinney, the SNP leader and first minister, said Salmond had “fought fearlessly for his country”.
“He took the Scottish National Party from the margins of Scottish politics into government and brought Scotland closer to becoming an independent nation,” Swinney said.
Sir Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, described Salmond as a “monumental” figure who left behind a “lasting legacy”.
Salmond led the SNP for 20 years over two terms, from 1990 to 2000 and 2004 to 2014.
Raised in modest surroundings in Linlithgow, he studied economics at St Andrews University, going on to work in the public and private sectors as an economist before entering politics as was a radical firebrand, promoting the SNP’s more left-leaning approach, often referred to as the “Tartan Tories”.
Salmond’s death comes as he prepares to return to the frontline of Scottish politics, saying he will run in the 2026 Holyrood election.
The SNP is bracing itself – and hoping for independence – for a challenge from a resurgent unionist Labor Party, which could oust the nationalists from power after 19 years in power.
Salmond’s Alba party disagrees with the SNP’s independence strategy, has backed the North Sea energy sector in the face of criticism from climate activists and challenged what it calls “wokeism” on Issues such as transgender rights have become more prominent during Sturgeon’s leadership of the SNP.
Alba is the only MSP in the Scottish parliament who defected to the SNP and failed to make a breakthrough in this year’s UK general election.
Salmond hopes to restore his fortunes and is being favored by nationalist politicians seeking to rebuild a broader coalition for independence.
