Nicola Ferguson Sturgeon (born 19 July 1970 in Irvine, Scotland) is a Scottish politician. On 20 November 2014, she became the 5th First Minister of Scotland. She became the leader of the Scottish National Party on 14 November 2014. She was previously the Deputy First Minister of Scotland, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Wellbeing, and Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Govan.
Nicola Sturgeon studied at the University of Glasgow and attempted to become a Member of Parliament at the 1992 and 1997 General Elections. In 1999, she became an MSP representing the Glasgow region. She became the Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party in 2004 and because Alex Salmond was still an MP, she was the SNP's leader in the Scottish Parliament until the 2007 Scottish Parliament election. At the 2007 election, Nicola Sturgeon became the MSP for Glasgow Govan and her party formed a minority government with Alex Salmond as First Minister.
On 20 November 2014, Nicola Sturgeon became First Minister of Scotland, succeeding Alex Salmond, who had resigned after defeat in the Scottish independence referendum. She is the first woman to hold this position.
Sturgeon lives in Glasgow, with her husband Peter Murrell.
In March 2023, Sturgeon resigned as First Minister and was succeeded by Humza Yousaf. She said that her resignation was because of the emotional toll the role took on her and for the false internet rumours about her sexuality and personal life.