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- The 2014 Scottish National Party leadership election was held to choose the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and First Minister of Scotland, following the resignation of Alex Salmond as first minister and leader. Nicola Sturgeon emerged as the only and was elected unopposed as leader of the SNP. In the previous election, held ten years prior in 2004, Salmond was elected, on a joint ticket with Sturgeon as depute, to succeed John Swinney after he resigned following poor SNP electoral performances. Salmond led the party through the 2007 Scottish Parliament election, with the SNP emerging as the largest party and forming an minority government, with the support of the Scottish Greens. The SNP won an overwhelming majority in the 2011 election. Salmond's new majority administration pushed for its manifesto commitment of holding a referendum on Scottish independence. In the 2014 referendum, a majority of Scots voted in favour of remaining part of the United Kingdom. The defeat of the Yes Scotland campaign, resulted in Salmond's resignation. He resigned at party's annual conference in Perth in November 2014. Sturgeon was the first, and only one, to announce their candidacy for leadership of the SNP. Many prominent members of the SNP were speculated to run, however, they declined and instead endorsed Sturgeon for leader. On 15 October 2014, she was confirmed as the next leader of the SNP, becoming the de facto leader-in-waiting. Sturgeon officially succeeded Salmond unopposed at the party's conference in November 2014. She became the first female leader and was subsequently appointed First Minister of Scotland. When Sturgeon announced her candidacy for leader, she also announced she would step down as depute leader of the SNP, triggering a depute leadership contest. Stewart Hosie, Keith Brown and Angela Constance all ran in the election, with Hosie defeating both candidates in the first and second round and succeeding Sturgeon as depute leader. (en)
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