Alex Salmond: Scottish former head of government is dead

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Alex Salmond: Scottish former head of government is dead

October 12, 2024

Spokesperson confirmed
Former Scottish Prime Minister Salmond is dead

Alex Salmond — Alex Salmond was 69 years old
© Scott Heppell / AP / DPA

During his term in office, the Scots voted on their country’s independence from Great Britain. Alex Salmond was considered charismatic, but also controversial.

Former Scottish Prime Minister Alex Salmond has died. This was reported by the PA news agency, among others. The BBC and Sky News also reported on the death of the 69-year-old, who was considered one of the most prominent supporters of an independent Scotland. Prime Minister Keir Starmer praised Salmond as a “monumental figure in Scottish and British politics”. The police in Scotland have confirmed Salmond’s death, said a British government spokeswoman in response to a dpa request.

During Salmond’s term as head of government in Edinburgh (2007 to 2014), the British part of the country held a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom in 2014. The Scots narrowly voted 55 to 45 percent to remain in the union with Great Britain. Salmond then resigned from his position as First Minister and head of the Scottish National Party (SNP).

Alex Salmond criticized for RT moderation

He later resigned from the party in the face of allegations of abuse from former employees and fell out with his successor and political foster daughter Nicola Sturgeon. However, the allegations did not hold up in court. Salmond became head of a new independence party called Alba, which had little success at the ballot box.

Salmond was considered charismatic, but was also controversial. One of the reasons for criticism was that after leaving the Scottish government he hosted a program on the Russian broadcaster RT (formerly known as Russia Today).

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