Alex Salmond, former Scottish first minister, wants to contest a seat in north-east Scotland.

London: Alex Salmond, Scotland's former first minister and a champion of Scottish independence, said on Sunday he would seek election to the British Parliament in May, opening another chapter in a career marked by political comebacks. Mr Salmond relinquished the post of Scotland's first minister and the leadership of his Scottish National Party after a referendum in September that rejected independence.

But few expected Mr Salmond, 59, to retire quietly, and there was widespread speculation that he planned to return to the British Parliament, where he held a seat from 1987 to 2010. Addressing supporters in the Scottish town of Ellon on Sunday, Mr Salmond said he wanted to contest the Gordon constituency in north-east Scotland at next year's general election.

If elected, Mr Salmond could find himself at Westminster during an important time for Scotland and the rest of Britain. Legislation is due to be passed next year that would give more power to the Scottish Parliament, including over areas such as income tax and welfare spending. Most opinion polls predict the Scottish National Party, or SNP, will make gains in Scotland during the general election, which could give it influence over who forms the next British government.

On Sunday Mr Salmond said  if he were elected he would fight to ensure the greater power promised to Scotland by Britain's main political parties in the run-up to the independence referendum was "honored and delivered". He also said that in the event of an unclear election result in May, his party would not support the Conservative Party, which is now led by Prime Minister David Cameron.

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"We are not going to deal with the Conservative Party formally or informally in any shape or form," Mr Salmond told the BBC. "They are not trusted in Scotland. But that leaves a number of other permutations in which the SNP can exert a decisive influence." 

Mr Salmond said a formal coalition with the opposition Labour Party was "unlikely", but he did not rule it out.

Regarded as one of the most assured politicians of his generation, Mr Salmond became leader of the SNP in 1990. He stepped down as party leader in 2000 only to regain the position four years later. During his career, he has also represented two constituencies in the Scottish Parliament, and in 2007 he became Scotland's first minister at the head of a minority administration. He then led his party to a big victory in Scottish elections in 2011.

Though the Scottish voters ultimately rejected independence in September's referendum, the campaign appears to have energised supporters of the SNP. Its membership has surged and opinion polls suggest it may win seats from the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats next year.

Explaining his decision to run for a seat in Parliament, Mr Salmond paraphrased a well-known British political quotation, saying that with the general election looming, he wanted to march towards "the sound of gunfire".

New York Times