Alexander Elliot Anderson "Alex" Salmond (pronounced /ˈsæmənd/) is the First Minister of Scotland, heading a minority Scottish Government.

He is the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Member of Parliament for the constituency of Banff and Buchan, and the Member of the Scottish Parliament for Gordon. He is currently serving his second term as leader of the SNP, having previously been leader between 1990 and 2000.

The SNP won the 2007 Scottish Parliament election with 47 seats, one seat ahead of their nearest rivals, the Scottish Labour Party. On 16 May 2007, Alex Salmond became First Minister, heading the SNP administration.