Nicola Sturgeon said on Wednesday she would resign as Scotland's first minister after eight years in the job.
Sturgeon told a news conference in Edinburgh that she would remain leader of Scotland's devolved government until a successor is found. She said the decision was not linked to recent short-term issues.
"This decision comes from a deeper and longer term assessment," she said, adding she had been wrestling with the decision for weeks.
"Giving absolutely everything of yourself to this job is the only way to do it," Sturgeon said. "But in truth, that can only be done by anyone for so long. For me it is now in danger of becoming too long."
(Reporting by Muvija M and Sachin Ravikumar; editing by Kate Holton)
