Former Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond, a fervent defender of Scottish independence, has died at the age of 69, members of the Scottish independence party, the SNP, which he led, announced on Saturday.
“He was a titan of the independence movement,” greeted the SNP on X.
Its members did not specify the causes of Alex Salmond’s death. According to British media, he collapsed after a speech in North Macedonia.
The career of the man who was born on December 31, 1954 in a working-class housing estate in Linlithgow, near Edinburgh, will remain marked by the 2014 referendum on Scottish independence, a bitter defeat for the yes camp that he led (55% of votes against).
He subsequently resigned from his post as head of the Scottish government, which he had held since 2007, and ceded power to the woman who was for a time his protégé, Nicola Sturgeon.
Once suspected of sexual assault and attempted rape, then acquitted by the courts in 2020, this herald of Scottish independence attempted a comeback in 2021 with a new party, Alba, which ended in a electoral failure.
Alex Salmond also hosted a show on Russia’s state-funded English-language news channel RT, ultimately suspended after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in early 2022.
He graduated in economics and medieval history from the prestigious University of Saint Andrews, before becoming an economist for the Bank of Scotland.
Talkative in public, this horse racing enthusiast was on the other hand silent about his private life. His wife, Moira, 87, very rarely appeared at his side. The couple had no children.
His supporters praised him for his unwavering determination and great political skill, while his detractors found him arrogant, tyrannical and misogynistic, with a penchant for populism.
Reactions poured in on Saturday from across the British political spectrum, in tribute to one of the most important figures in Scotland’s recent history.
“Alex and I have obviously had our differences over the last few years, but there is no doubt that he has made a huge contribution to Scottish and British politics. My condolences to his family and friends,” Humza Yousaf, SNP member and former Scottish first minister, wrote on X.
Britain’s Prime Minister, Labor Keir Starmer, called Mr Salmond a “monumental figure in Scottish and British politics” who “leaves behind a lasting legacy”.
His predecessor, the conservative Rishi Sunak, hailed “a major figure in our politics”. “While I disagree with him on the constitutional issue, I cannot deny his talent for debate and his passion for politics. May he rest in peace,” he added.