Sarah Palin abruptly resigned on Friday as governor of Alaska, saying she did not want to waste her time on ”political blood sport” and would hand power to her deputy later this month.

The move ignited speculation that Ms Palin plans to run for the Republican nomination for president in 2012, and perhaps as a senator in 2010 as a precursor to that. But the governor, who ran alongside John McCain for the White House last year, gave no real indication of her future plans on Friday.