The former Prime Minister of Scotland, Alex Salmond, died at the age of 69, the British media reported today, as reported by the Reuters agency.
Sky News said Salmond, who led the Scottish National Party (SNP) between 1990 and 2000 and again between 2004 and 2014, was a prominent figure in the country's nationalist movement.
That media reports that Salmond used his second term as prime minister to hold a referendum on Scottish independence in 2014.
The "Yes Scotland" campaign was defeated and he resigned as a result. At the referendum, the citizens of Scotland voted to remain in Great Britain with 55 percent of the votes, while 45 percent voted for independence.
The BBC reports that Salmond collapsed after a speech in North Macedonia.
"For more than 30 years, Alex Salmond was a monumental figure in Scottish and British politics. He leaves behind a lasting legacy. He cared deeply about Scottish heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented," Prime Minister Veliky said. Britain's Keir Starmer, reports Reuters.
Anas Sarvar, leader of Scottish Labor, was among the first to pay tribute to the former first minister.
In a statement posted on social networking site X, he wrote: "The sad news of Alex Salmond's death today will come as a shock to everyone who knew him in Scotland, across the UK and beyond. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time and on behalf of Scottish Labor I offer our sincere condolences to all who will mourn him."
Former British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also paid tribute to Salmond.
In a social media post, X wrote: "Alex Salmond was a huge figure in our politics. Although I disagreed with him on the constitutional issue, there was no denying his debating skills or his passion for politics. Rest in peace."
Transformation of the party, accusations of sexual abuse and attempted rape, new party, RT
After constitutional changes re-established the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Salmond oversaw the transformation of the SNP from a party with a small number of MPs in the London Parliament to the dominant political force in Scotland.
The independence movement he led shocked the British political elite and energized Scottish politics.
His reputation has been tarnished by allegations of sexual abuse dating back to when he was first minister from 2007 to 2014, including one allegation of attempted rape.
He was acquitted of all charges in 2020, after a trial.
In 2021, Salmond founded a party called Alba - after the Scottish Gaelic name for Scotland - which had little electoral success, and caused controversy by hosting a political talk show on Russia's RT channel.
Salmond joined the SNP as a student and was a prominent member of the Socialist faction campaigning for change in the party.
The group was expelled from the party in 1982, but was reinstated after a month.
He worked as an economist in the Scottish Government's Department of Agriculture and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Salmond is survived by his wife Mojra Megglašan, whom he married in 1981.
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