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Former Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, who helped change the course of Scottish politics and pushed Scotland to the brink of independence from the United Kingdom, died on Saturday. He was 69 years old.
Salmond, who led the Scottish government for seven years from 2007, is credited with helping to shore up support for Scottish independence during the 2014 referendum in which Scots voted 55% to 45% to remain in the UK.
The BBC said that Salmond collapsed after giving a speech in North Macedonia.
Leaders across the political divide paid tribute to Salmond, a brilliant debater who led the Scottish National Party from 1990 to 2000 and from 2004 to 2014.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “For more than 30 years, Alex Salmond has been a prominent figure in Scottish and UK politics. He has left behind a lasting legacy.” “He cared deeply about Scotland’s heritage, history and culture, as well as the communities he represented.”
After constitutional changes reestablished the Scottish Parliament in 1999, Salmond oversaw the transformation of the Scottish National Party from a small number of lawmakers in the London Parliament to the dominant political force in Scotland.
The independence movement he led sent shock waves through Britain's political elite and revitalized Scottish politics.
His reputation has been damaged by sexual assault allegations dating back to his time as first minister from 2007 to 2014, including a charge of attempted rape. He was acquitted of all charges in 2020 after a trial.
In 2021, Salmond founded a party called Alba – after Scotland's Scottish Gaelic name – which achieved little electoral success, and sparked controversy by hosting a political talk show on Russia's RT channel.
Salmond joined the Scottish National Party while he was a student and was a prominent member of the socialist faction that called for change in the party. The group was expelled from the party in 1982 but was reinstated within a month.
He worked as an economist for the Scottish Government Department of Agriculture and the Royal Bank of Scotland.
Salmond is survived by his wife, Moira McGlashan, whom he married in 1981.