The leader of the Scottish National Party, Mr Alex Salmond, has resigned, saying that after 10 years the time had come for him to step down.
The announcement took Scotland's political and media community by surprise.
He said he remained convinced that Scotland was on the path to independence. He explained that it was best to "pass on the torch of leadership when that torch is burning brightly", adding that he would remain as an MSP.
Mr Salmond is the longest serving leader of the SNP. He was elected to the post of national convenor in 1990. He took the party through three British general elections and the first election to the devolved Scottish Parliament.
The contest to replace him began immediately, with the current deputy leader, Mr John Swinney, most likely to succeed. Mr Salmond will officially stand down at the SNP annual conference in September, when his successor will be elected. At 45, he is young in political terms and can expect to be offered directorships in the Scottish financial services sector.
He told a press conference in Aberdeen that he had informed his constituency party on Sunday afternoon of his decision. "I still have a passionate belief in independence and I will put myself at the disposal of the new leader for any post they may wish to offer," he said.
"I have spent the last year developing a strong team of people to take the policies forward. It is best to pass on the torch of leadership when the flame is burning brightly. The SNP is at its strongest position in history, leading in the opinion polls. The party is absolutely flying.
"I have a complete conviction that the SNP will win the next Scottish elections three years away. If I were to stay as leader that would mean another four years and then a next term as leader would inevitably follow so that would mean 20 years."
Following last year's elections to the Edinburgh parliament, Mr Salmond had adopted a lower profile, with many commentators suggesting he was underperforming. Until that time critics often suggested the SNP was a "one-man band".
Mr Salmond will for ever be remembered for declaring the 1999 NATO air attack on Kosovo an "unpardonable folly", a remark which won him worldwide coverage and the criticism of most other Western political leaders. At the time it appeared to be a blunder with the first election to the devolved Scottish parliament only weeks away.
Mr Salmond will be remembered as an astute political tactician, deploying the limited resources of the SNP to gain a high profile. The party had limped through the 1980s with only 10 per cent of popular support. The party more than doubled that under Mr Salmond and became the official opposition in the new parliament.