More reports from local media in North Macedonia are now coming in, providing further details regarding the death of Alex Salmond.

Journalist David Ilieski told the BBC that it is understood Salmond fell ill during lunch at the hotel Inex Olgica in Ohrid.

The country's Ministry of Interior (MOI) confirmed that about 15:30 local time, a report was filed at Ohrid police station stating he had lost consciousness. Emergency medical services were dispatched but Scotland's former first minister was pronounced dead at the scene.

Salmond had been speaking at the 2nd Forum for Cultural Diplomacy event, co-organised by former Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov.

In a statement, former President Ivanov’s office expressed condolences to Salmond’s family and it is understood a commemoration in his honour will be held later, featuring remarks by Ivanov, UN Deputy Secretary-General Miguel Ángel Moratinos and other forum participants.

Alba Party comes to terms with leader's deathpublished at 21:12 British Summer Time

21:12 BST

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Alex Salmond was the figurehead for the SNP for a long time – with a total of 20 years spent as the leader.

It was a party that he led from opposition to being the dominant political force in Scotland for years.

But the fallout with his former protégé Nicola Sturgeon led to the creation of the Alba party in 2021.

Mr Salmond was in fierce disagreement about the SNP’s independence strategy and launched Alba during the Holyrood election campaign with a rather awkward remote press conference due to those strange Covid times.

I’ve been speaking to Kirk Torrance, a former SNP strategist and one of Alba’s co-founders.

He said the party boss was “deeply proud” of his new creation.

But Alba is now leaderless and questions will arise about its future political viability now that it is bereft of its driving force.

Mr Torrance told me that clearly there will be reflections on that – but for now the focus is on the man and his legacy.

Salmond craved the spotlight until the endpublished at 20:58 British Summer Time

20:58 BST

Lynsey Bews
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

Those close to Alex Salmond often said he’d never willingly leave the political stage - and that prediction has come true.

He was not one of those leaders to retreat into private life after leaving office.

Indeed, his departure as first minister in 2014 saw him return to Westminster the following year as an MP.

And his decision to set up his own political party, Alba, to fight the 2021 Holyrood elections came as a shock but not a surprise to those familiar with Scottish politics.

Just over a fortnight ago, I saw Salmond at a press conference in Edinburgh.

He gave interviews, blasting the UK government’s decision on the winter fuel payment, and the Scottish government’s reaction to it.

The former first minister revelled in the political spotlight - and craved it until the very end.

Flags outside the Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh are flying at half mast this evening as a "mark of respect" for former first minister Alex Salmond.

Image source, Getty Images

Iain Blackford, who served as leader of the SNP at Westminster from 2017 to 2022, tells BBC News he feels a "tremendous sense of shock that Alex has passed away all too young".

He says: "All our thoughts are with Moria, his wife, and his family and friends."

Blackford says Salmond is a "tremendous loss to them and to the country as well", describing the Scotland's former first minister as an "inspiring political leader".

He says: "He took the SNP not just to a position of leadership but to one of government."

Salmond was the "only person that has ever led a party, in the Scottish Parliament, to a majority situation," Blackford adds.

That led to the independence referendum in 2014, he says.

Blackford says he knew Salmond pretty much all his adult life, saying he was a "big beast of politics".

Image source, g

Alex Salmond “brought the SNP into the mainstream”, according to his former colleague Alex Neil.

Neil, who served as health secretary and social justice secretary in the Scottish government, said he was “devastated” at the death of Scotland's former first minister and called him a “titan of Scottish and British politics”.

Speaking to the BBC, Neil said: “He put us very firmly in the moderate left, and brought the SNP into the mainstream. By being in the mainstream then people were prepared to listen more to our reasoning on independence.”

Neil, who first met Salmond in 1982, said he had last seen him two weeks ago and that the 69-year-old was “still full of ideas to move independence forward".

He added that Salmond was a “very kind and very funny man” who was “committed” to helping people and “thought every waking moment about how he could do more for Scotland".

Image source, Getty Images

Alba's deputy leader Kenny MacAskill said the party "grieves the loss of their founder and leader" but that "the dream he cherished so closely and came so close to delivering will never die".

MacAskill said: “He was the outstanding Scottish politician, not just of his generation, but for generations far before. Recognised at home and respected abroad."

MacAskill, who defected to the party from the SNP in 2021, praised the Alba leader as a "master political tactician" and strategist but added "the actions of individuals and later administrations undoubtedly took their toll" on Salmond in recent years.

"Courts will still rightly decide upon the actions of individuals whose behaviour towards him was deplorable and shameful," he said.

Image source, g

The final years of Alex Salmond's long political career were conducted as the leader of the newly-formed Alba party.

He launched the party just ahead of the 2021 Scottish Parliament elections and it attracted a few defections from the SNP but never achieved more than 3% at the ballot box.

Speaking at Alba's manifesto launch in June, Salmond said taking "real action on independence" was the party's top priority in the UK general election in July.

He told BBC Scotland News at the time: “We’ve got a strategy to take Scotland to independence, not asking, beseeching Westminster to grant us a referendum.”

Alex Salmond took the SNP from protest to powerpublished at 20:11 British Summer Time

20:11 BST

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

There might not be a Scottish Parliament if it wasn’t for Alex Salmond.

It was under his leadership that the SNP decided to back Labour plans for devolution a quarter of a century ago.

As an independence-supporting politician he could have said the scheme was not good enough and urged his supporters to boycott the 1997 referendum.

Instead, he took a “gradualist” view that establishing a parliament in Edinburgh would give the SNP a platform from which to build support.

That helped secure a large majority in favour of a devolved Scottish Parliament and it was delivered in 1999.

This approach worked for the SNP too.

Within eight years he would lead his party from protest to power, taking the SNP into government for the first time.

He later secured an overall majority of seats at Holyrood, paving the way for the independence referendum that came close to ending Scotland’s political union with England.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Image source, Getty Images

Read Alex Salmond's obituary here.

Former UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn writes on X that it is "very sad" to hear of Salmond's death.

"He was formidable, determined and principled to his core," Corbyn says.

"We will miss his tenacity and humour most. My thoughts are with his family and friends in Scotland and around the world."

'Politics was what he cared about'published at 19:43 British Summer Time

19:43 BST

Andrew Kerr
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Alex Salmond was a politician to his finger tips – and his final social media posts demonstrate that.

On X, Mr Salmond has a five-part thread commenting on yesterday’s Council of the Nations and Regions which met in Edinburgh.

He said the current First Minister John Swinney should have declined the meeting – with the words “Scotland is a country, not a county”.

It shows just how fiercely active he was in constantly pushing the case for independence – at a time when many of his peers would have started retreating from front-line politics.

Just over two weeks ago, he held a press conference with a couple hoping to sue the UK government over the withdrawal of the winter fuel payment.

I last spoke to him two weeks ago at Holyrood when the King marked the 25th anniversary of devolution.

Mr Salmond was there with his wife, Moira, as he attempted to press home to me the potential significance of that potential court case.

Politics was what he cared about and the tributes from his opponents today show just that.

Image source, PA Media

Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay says Alex Salmond will be remembered as a "formidable and impressive politician who made a lasting impact on our country".

"I am shocked and saddened to hear of Alex Salmond's sudden passing," he says.

"No matter our political beliefs, we can all respect his dedication to public service as an MSP, MP and First Minister of Scotland."

"The thoughts of everyone in the Scottish Conservative Party are with his family and friends."

Salmond made the SNP a political force to be reckoned withpublished at 19:37 British Summer Time

19:37 BST

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

Alex Salmond was one of the most instinctive political minds I’ve ever dealt with.

He knew how to read the lay of the land. He was regularly several steps ahead of other politicians. He was unflinchingly confident. It was near impossible to catch him out in an interview.

He made the SNP a political force to be reckoned with in his first spell as leader.

In his second spell, he took the party into power, less than a decade after the creation of the Scottish Parliament. He came far closer than many expected to taking Scotland out of the UK in 2014. He made Scottish independence a realistic prospect rather than a fringe idea.

After he quit the SNP to fight sexual misconduct allegations, he formed a new party Alba, which appealed to some nationalists frustrated at the lack of progress on independence.

Alba has not made a significant mark electorally. But it’s a testament to Salmond’s leadership influence that some high-profile SNP politicians - two MPs and one MSP - jumped ship and joined his new party. Several others who stayed in the SNP had a huge amount of time and sympathy for him (even if many in the SNP felt the opposite).

It remains to be seen what happens to Alba without its charismatic talisman.

But there is no doubting that Alex Salmond was an incredibly capable, passionate and successful politician.

Image source, get

Scotland's former First Minister Alex Salmond has died, aged 69.

Here are the main headlines:

• The former MP and MSP was in North Macedonia when he became ill

• It is understood he collapsed after delivering a speech at an international conference on Saturday
• Salmond led Scotland between 2007 and 2014
• He led the pro-independence side ahead of the referendum in 2014 and resigned as first minister after Scottish voters backed remaining in the UK by 55% to 45%
• Salmond formed the pro-independence Alba Party in 2021 after resigning from the SNP three years earlier
• UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Salmond as being a "monumental figure of Scottish and UK politics"
• Scotland's First Minister John Swinney said he was "deeply shocked and saddened" at the news and extended his condolences to Salmond's wife Moira and his family

• Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, whohad been Salmond's closest ally before a spectacular fall out, said she was "shocked and sorry" to hear of his death

We'll keep bringing you all the analysis and reaction to Alex Salmond's death. You can read his obituary here.

A group photo including Alex Salmond (eighth from the right) was posted on Facebook yesterday by the Ohrid Cultural Diplomacy Forum 2024 - an event he was attending on Friday.

Image source, Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

Image source, Academy for Cultural Diplomacy

As we reported earlier, Alex Salmond was taken ill after giving a speech in North Macedonia.

He was listed as one of six panellists at the Ohrid Cultural Diplomacy Forum 2024 yesterday.

Some of the other people on the panel included the president of Malta and the president of the Republic of North Macedonia, according to the forum's agenda, external.

It also shows the panel discussion fell under the title of "Young Leaders for International Cooperation, Cultural Understanding & Peace".

The forum was scheduled to run from 10 October to 13 October.

We'll bring you more updates on what Salmond was doing in the country as we get them.

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were the SNP's dream team for years but after losing the Scottish independence referendum vote their relationship became a nightmare.

The Salmond/Sturgeon association spans three decades.

"He believed in me long before I believed in myself," Sturgeon once said.

Alex Salmond was a mentor, ally and friend and for 10 years she was his deputy as they campaigned hard, won elections and pushed towards a shared dream of Scottish independence.

But when Sturgeon took over as SNP leader and Scotland's first minister in 2014 the relationship began to get rocky.

In 2018, allegations of sexual harassment - strongly denied - were made against Salmond by two female civil servants.

The complaints were made after Sturgeon asked for new government policies on sexual harassment to be put in place in the wake of the #MeToo movement. Salmond believed the policy was aimed at him.

The Scottish government eventually admitted it had acted unlawfully. It had to pay Mr Salmond's legal fees of more than £500,000.

Salmond accused officials close to Sturgeon - including her husband Peter Murrell, the SNP's chief executive - of plotting against him. They all denied the claims.

The two most powerful SNP figures of their generation were estranged in a way that would never be resolved.

Image source, Getty Images

Former first minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon has called Alex Salmond a "mentor" despite the "breakdown" of their relationship in recent years.

"I am shocked and sorry to learn of Alex Salmond's death," she says.

"Obviously, I cannot pretend that the events of the past few years which led to the breakdown of our relationship did not happen, and it would not be right for me to try.

"However, it remains the fact that for many years Alex was an incredibly significant figure in my life. He was my mentor, and for more than a decade we formed one of the most successful partnerships in UK politics.

"Alex modernised the SNP and led us into government for the first time, becoming Scotland's fourth First Minister and paving the way for the 2014 referendum which took Scotland to the brink of independence.

"He will be remembered for all of that. My thoughts are with Moira, his wider family and his friends."

Nick Robinson
Presenter, Radio 4 Today

No politician in modern times has come closer to redrawing the map of their country - securing independence for Scotland or breaking up the United Kingdom, depending on your point of view.

Alex Salmond did it with a mixture of passion, energy, charisma and strategic brilliance. Above all, he did it by proving that Nationalists could be trusted to run their country competently.

Just before he became First Minister in 2007, we had breakfast together in a London hotel over what he insisted was the best haggis available south of the border.

I pointed out that he might get the top job but he wouldn’t get a parliamentary majority in Holyrood.

"Who needs a majority?" he demanded to know, adding: "I will have money, a platform and I will speak for Scotland." He used those assets to great effect.

Journalists loved his company because he could dissect and analyse politics like few others. He was already ready with a pithy and a witty soundbite. He liked to debate and argue, not merely to repeat a line to take.

He was, though, a fearsome man to cross. We clashed at a news conference just before the independence referendum in 2014 when I was BBC political editor and he presented me as a representative of the Westminster classes sent to Scotland to frustrate the public’s desire for independence. It was as uncomfortable as experience as any I’ve been through as a journalist.

He proved to be a divisive figure in his own party too. He was cleared of charges of sexual assault but his behaviour then and since destroyed his relationships not just with his long-term deputy and acolyte Nicola Sturgeon, but many other leading SNP figures as well.

Alex could very easily have given up the fight, given in to his many enemies and disappeared after his court cases and acrimonious split with the SNP leadership. He chose instead to form a new party - Alba - and fought as hard as he ever had to find a new route to the dream that drove him on.

He has died all too early, leaving a huge hole in Scottish politics, and though I never repaired my relationship with him, I will miss him.

He never achieved his goal but no-one came anything like as close, and perhaps they never will.