Nicola Sturgeon has announced she is stepping down as first minister of Scotland. Sturgeon is the first woman to hold the post, as well as the first woman to lead the Scottish National Party.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon: “Essentially, I’ve been trying to answer two questions: Is carrying on right for me? And, more importantly, is me carrying on right for the country, for my party and for the independence cause I have devoted my life to?”

Sturgeon will stay in her role until a successor is appointed. Her resignation comes amid stark divisions over Scottish independence. In November, the British Supreme Court ruled Scotland cannot hold another independence referendum without the green light from the British government. The U.K. government also recently vetoed a Scottish bill that would make it easier for people to change their legal gender. Sturgeon condemned the veto as a “full-frontal attack” on the Scottish Parliament.