In a statement on Instagram, she writes that she will not stand for re-election to the Scottish parliament in Edinburgh in the election next year.
"I have long known in my heart that the time is ripe for me to take advantage of different opportunities in a new chapter of my life", she says.
Sturgeon was party leader for the Scottish National Party (SNP) and has been sitting in the Scottish parliament since 1999, when it was established in its current form. She was between 2014 and 2023 Scotland's Prime Minister and is the one who has held the post the longest.
