Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has quit in a shock announcement this morning.
She said she is passing over the leadership as the country looks towards its "final" push for independence.
She stressed that she was battling with the decision for some time, adding that her "head and heart told her the time to go had come."
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Ms Sturgeon told a rushed press conference that she would stay until a new leader is identified and until the Scottish Parliament has its next election, The Mirror reported.
She outlined to reporters this morning that she is unsure if she will stand again.
She said: “I’ve believed that part of serving well would be to know almost instinctively when the time is right to make way for someone else.
"In my head and in my heart I know that time is now."
Her decision was in response to "short term pressures" revealed from poor polling.
"I'm firmly of the view that there's majority support for independence, but that spirit needs to be solidified and it needs to grow further," she stated.
"To achieve that we must cross the divide... My judgement is that a new leader would be best placed to do that."
She stressed that she will continue to battle for Scottish independence.
"I believe my successor, whoever he or she may be, will lead Scotland to independence, and I'll be there cheering them on," Ms Sturgeon said.
"A First Minister is never off duty, particularly in this day and age there is virtually no privacy. Even ordinary stuff that most people take for granted like going for a coffee with friends or for a walk on your own becomes very difficult."
She will leave office as the longest serving and first female First Minister since the creation of the Scottish Parliament - however her real dream of achieving Scottish independence is still out of reach.
Controversy hit her Government as they looked to pass through gender reforms, which were subsequently met with a brick wall in the UK.
Her choice to resign has been met by despair from within the SNP.
Fellow SNP MP Stewart McDonald posted: "Nicola Sturgeon is the finest public servant of the devolution age.
"Her public service, personal resilience and commitment to Scotland is unmatched, and she has served our party unlike anyone else.
"She will be an enormous loss as First Minister and SNP leader."
SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn MP described her as an outstanding political leader across the country.
The SNP will convene in March to talk about viewing the next UK election as a "de facto referendum", with more than 50% of the vote being considered a mandate to begin negotiations for Scotland to become an independent country.
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