Alex Salmond Resigns After Failed Bid For Scottish Independence

Alex Salmond, the leader of Scotland’s failed bid for independence, announced Friday that he would step down as first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party. Last Thursday, Scots voted overwhelmingly — 55 percent to 45 percent — to reject Scottish independence.

Alex Salmond resigns unexpectedly, though the announcement came just one day after the vote against Scottish sovereignty that had been the basis of his political career spanning for decades. Scotland’s 307-year-old union with Great Britain saw its greatest challenge in Mr. Salmond, who was by far the closest threat as much as its most notable casualty.

“Today the point is this: The real guardians of progress are not the politicians at Westminster, or even at Holyrood, but the energized activism of tens of thousands of people who I predict will refuse meekly to go back into the political shadows,” Salmond said.

“For me right now, therefore, there is a decision as to who is best placed to lead this process forward politically,” he added. “I believe that in this new exciting situation, redolent with possibility, party, Parliament and country would benefit from new leadership.”

Salmond will not technically step down until later this year.

“We lost the referendum vote, but can still carry the political initiative,” he said at a press conference with reporters in Edinburgh, where he made the announcement. “More importantly, Scotland can still emerge as the real winner.”

Meanwhile, U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron promised the new powers he, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband had promised to Scotland would be “honored in full.” The three party leaders said they will heal the wounds opened by the referendum and soon begin working on broad changes to give new decision-making powers to Scotland and other parts of the country.

“The old union we know is dead,” said Carwyn Jones, the first minister of Wales. “We need to forge a new one. But no more committees, no more messing about, no more panicky deals — it’s time to sit together, all of us as four nations, and work this through.”

“For me as leader, my time is nearly over,” he told reporters, “but for Scotland the campaign continues, and the dream shall never die.”