Nicola Sturgeon (born on 19 July 1970 in Irvine, North Ayrshire) is the Deputy Leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). She is a Member of the Scottish Parliament for the Glasgow Govan. Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The incumbent, in politics, is the current holder of a political office. ... Glasgow Govan is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Irvine is a coastal new town in Ayrshire, Scotland, administered by North Ayrshire council. ... Motto (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity Cha togar mfhearg gun dioladh (Scottish Gaelic)1 Wha daur meddle wi me?(Scots)1 Anthem (Multiple unofficial anthems) Scotlands location in Europe Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official languages English, Gaelic Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Queen Queen Elizabeth II  -  Prime... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... July 19 is the 200th day (201st in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 165 days remaining. ... 1970 (MCMLXX) was a common year starting on Thursday. ... Irvine is a coastal new town in Ayrshire, Scotland, administered by North Ayrshire council. ... North Ayrshire (Sìorrachd Inbhir Air a Tuath in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) (Ball Pàrlamaid na h-Alba (BPA) in Gaelic) is the title given to any one of the 129 individuals elected to serve in the Scottish Parliament. ... For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ... Glasgow Govan is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ...

Sturgeon became an MSP in the first elections to the Scottish Parliament in 1999, becoming the SNP's spokeswoman on justice, and later on education and health. In 2004, she announced that she would be a candidate for the leadership of the SNP following the resignation of John Swinney. However she later withdrew from the contest in favour of Alex Salmond, and stood as Deputy Leader. Both were subsequently elected, although Sturgeon leads the SNP in the Scottish Parliament, as Salmond is still an MP in the House of Commons. For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ... The Scottish Parliament election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on May 6th, 1999. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Swinney John Swinney is the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). ... Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, known as Alex Salmond (born 31 December 1954), is a Scottish politician, National Convener (leader) of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ...

Background and family life

Nicola Sturgeon was born in Irvine, North Ayrshire. She was educated at Greenwood Academy, Irvine, and later studied law at the University of Glasgow where she grauduated with an LLB (Hons) and Diploma in Legal Practice.^[1] At University she was active in the SNP student wing through Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association. Irvine is the name of more than one place: Irvine, California Irvine, Scotland Irvine is the name of a Scotish Clan. ... North Ayrshire (Sìorrachd Inbhir Air a Tuath in Gaelic) is one of 32 unitary council areas in Scotland. ... Scots law (or Scottish law) is the law of Scotland. ... Master of Theology (MTh) Dentistry Nursing Affiliations Russell Group, Universitas 21 Website http://www. ... The degree of Bachelor of Laws is the principal academic degree in law in most common law countries. ... Diploma from Mexico City College, 1948 (in Latin) A diploma (from Greek δίπλωµα diploma) is a certificate or deed issued by an educational institution, such as a university, that testifies that the recipient has successfully completed a particular course of study, or confers an academic degree. ... The Federation of Student Nationalists, known in the shortened form as the FSN, was formed in the 1960s when various student organisations supportive of the notion of Scottish independence and the Scottish National Party (SNP) in particular decided to join forces into a new constituent body. ... The Glasgow University Scottish Nationalist Association (GUSNA) was formed in 1927 by students at the University of Glasgow who believed in Scottish independence. ...

She worked as a solicitor in the Drumchapel Law Centre in Glasgow before becoming an MSP.

Early political career

Sturgeon joined the Scottish National Party in 1986 and became Youth Affairs Vice Convener and Publicity Vice Convener. She is also a member of the SNP's National Executive.^[2] This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...

She first stood for election in the 1992 UK election as SNP's candidate in the Glasgow Shettleston constituency, and was the youngest parliamentary candidate in Scotland, although she failed to win the seat. The United Kingdom general election of 1992 was held on 9 April 1992. ... Glasgow Shettleston was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1918 until 2005. ...

The 1997 general election saw Sturgeon selected to fight the Glasgow Govan seat for the SNP. Boundary changes meant that the notional Labour majority in the seat had increased substantially; however, infighting between the two rival candidates for the Labour nomination, Mohammed Sarwar and Mike Watson, along with an energetic local campaign, resulted in Glasgow Govan being the only UK seat to see a swing away from Labour in the midst of a Labour landslide UK-wide. The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... Glasgow Govan was a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1885 until 2005. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... Muhammad Sarwar Mohammad Sarwar (born 18 August 1952, Pirmahal Pakistan) is a politician in the United Kingdom, the Labour member of Parliament for Glasgow Central, Scotland. ... Michael Goodall Watson, Baron Watson of Invergowrie (born 1 May 1949) is a Labour member of the House of Lords and the Scottish Parliament. ... In politics, a landslide victory (or just a landslide) is the victory of a candidate or political party by an overwhelming majority in an election. ...

Scottish Parliament

SNP spokeswoman

Sturgeon stood for election to the Scottish Parliament in the 1999 and 2003 elections for the Glasgow Govan constituency. However she failed to win this constituency on both occasions. However in both elections, she was placed first in the regional list for the Glasgow region and was thus elected as an SNP additional member. For the national legislative body up to 1707, see Parliament of Scotland. ... The Scottish parliamentary election, 1999 was the first general election of the Scottish Parliament, with voting taking place on May 6, 1999. ... The Scottish parliamentary election, 2003, was the second general election of the Scottish Parliament. ... Glasgow Govan is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ... Glasgow is one of the eight electoral regions for elections to the Scottish Parliament from which 7 of the parliaments 56 Additional Members System (AMS) MSPs are elected. ...

She was appointed the SNP's spokeswoman for health, education and later for justice.

2004 SNP leadership contest

On 22 June 2004, John Swinney resigned as leader of the SNP, following poor results in the 2004 European Parliament election. His deputy, Roseanna Cunningham, announced her intention to stand for the leadership, and previous leader, Alex Salmond stated that he would not stand and refuse nomination.^[3] On June 24, 2004, Nicola Sturgeon announced that she would also be a candidate in the forthcoming election for the leadership of the Scottish National Party, with Kenny MacAskill as her running mate for the Deputy leadership.^[4] June 22 is the 173rd day of the year (174th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 192 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... John Swinney John Swinney is the former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP). ... Elections to the European Parliament were held from June 10, 2004 to June 13, 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. ... Roseanna Cunningham Roseanna Cunningham is an Australian-born (July 27, 1951) British politician, and member for the Scottish National Party for Perth in the Scottish Parliament. ... Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, known as Alex Salmond (born 31 December 1954), is a Scottish politician, National Convener (leader) of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan. ... June 24 is the 175th day of the year (176th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 190 days remaining. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Kenny MacAskill (born 28 April 1958) is an Scottish National Party member of the Scottish Parliament. ...

However, Alex Salmond later staged a U-turn and announced he would stand for the leadership. Sturgeon withdrew from the contest and declared her support for Salmond, standing instead for the Deputy Leadership. It was reported that Salmond had privately supported Sturgeon in her leadership bid, but decided to run for the position himself as it became apparent she was unlikely to beat Roseanna Cunningham.^[5] The majority of the SNP hierarchy leant their support to the Salmond-Sturgeon bid for the leadership, although MSP Alex Neil backed Salmond as leader, but refused to endorse Sturgeon as deputy leader.^[6] Alexander Elliot Anderson Salmond, known as Alex Salmond (born 31 December 1954), is a Scottish politician, National Convener (leader) of the Scottish National Party (SNP) and Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan. ... Alex Neil was born in 1951 in Patna, East Ayrshire, Scotland. ...

The results of the leadership contest were announced on 3 September 2004, with Salmond and Sturgeon elected as Leader and Deputy Leader. As Salmond was still an MP in the House of Commons, Sturgeon would lead the SNP at the Scottish Parliament until the 2007 election, in which Salmond has pledged to stand.^[7] September 3 is the 246th day of the year (247th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the Anno Domini era. ...

Deputy Leader

As leader of the SNP in the Scottish Parliament, Nicola Sturgeon has become a high profile figure in Scottish politics, and regularly clashes with the First Minister, Jack McConnell at First Minister's Questions. This has included rows over the House of Commons' decision to replace the Trident nuclear weapon system; and the SNP's plans to replace council tax in Scotland with a local income tax.^[8] The First Minister (First Meinister in Scots; Prìomh Mhinistear in Scots Gaelic) is the leader of Scotlands national devolved government, the Scottish Executive, which was established in 1999 along with the reconvened Scottish Parliament. ... The Right Honourable Jack Wilson McConnell MSP (born June 30, 1960 in Irvine, North Ayrshire) is a Scottish politician, leader of the Labour Party in Scotland and the third and current First Minister of Scotland. ... First Ministers Question Time is the question period in the Scottish Parliament where MSPs can directly question the First Minister on any issue under his/her jurisdiction. ... The House of Commons is the lower house of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. ... The Council Tax is the main form of local taxation in England, Scotland and Wales. ...

Sturgeon defeated Gordon Jackson with a 4.7% swing to the SNP in the 2007 Scottish Parliamentary election in Govan. The SNP won 9,010 votes (41.9%) which was an increase of +10.7% while Labour received 8,266 votes or 38.4%. Gordon Jackson (born August 5, 1948) is the Labour MSP for Glasgow Govan. ... The 2007 Scottish Parliament election is the third general election[1] to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. ... Glasgow Govan is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament. ...

References

External links

• The Scottish Parliament: Nicola Sturgeon MSP
• Scottish National Party: deputy leader