Alex Salmond, former Prime Minister of Scotland, has died at the age of 69, the Scottish independence party he led announced this Saturday, October 12. His career was marked by the referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.
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“ For more than 30 years he was a monumental figure in Scottish and British politics. He leaves behind a lasting legacy. » It is with these words that the British Prime Minister Keir Starmer paid tribute to Alex Salmond, who died on October 12. The Scottish National Party (SNP) did not specify the cause of death, but said it occurred in North Macedonia.
An emblematic figure in the struggle for Scottish independence, Salmond led the SNP and was elected Prime Minister in 2007, explains our correspondent in London, Sara Menai. Re-elected for a second term in 2011, he made history by obtaining a pro-independence majority in the Scottish Parliament, then by convincing, three years later, the British Prime Minister David Cameron to organize a independence referendumreminds Thomas Harms from Aberdeen.
Alex Salmond finally resigned in 2014 after the defeat of the SNP in the said referendum. Nicola Sturgeon succeeded him. Despite this defeat, Alex Salmond managed to place the SNP at the forefront of the political scene.
Even if his relations with London have not always been good due to his political fight, reactions from the entire British political spectrum poured in on Saturday evening in tribute to this former economist at the Royal Bank of Scotland and one of the most important figures in recent Scottish history.
Originally from Linlithgow, a small village located around thirty kilometers from Edinburgh, Alex Salmond saw the end of his career marked by accusations of sexual assault. Although he was acquitted on this charge in March 2023, his image remained damaged.