Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond (surname pronounced "SAM-MOND"; born 31 December 1954 in Linlithgow, Scotland) is a Scottish politician who is a former First Minister of Scotland and former leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) which is a political party that wants Scotland to become an independent country from the United Kingdom. He is also the longest-serving First Minister of Scotland, with over seven-and-a-half years in office.