- In the parliamentary elections in Scotland, the ruling pro-independence party SNP won a clear victory, but missed out on an absolute majority of 65 seats.
- As announced by the Electoral Commission in Edinburgh, Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon’s party would have 64 seats in the future.
- But since the Greens, who are also in favor of seceding from the United Kingdom, got eight seats, the people in favor of independence have a clear majority.
“This is the will of the country,” said Sturgeon on Saturday evening. “The Scots are the only people who decide the future of Scotland.” This is the fourth consecutive electoral victory in Scotland for the SNP, as compared to the previous vote in 2016, it was able to win three additional direct mandates.
“Absolutely no one could have predicted the extent and record highs of our victory in this election,” Sturgeon said. Discussions about a new independence referendum have intensified. The head of government had previously announced that he would proceed with the referendum if parliament had a majority for independence and that “the time is ripe”.
Sturgeon pressures UK government
Boris Johnson, on the other hand, dismissed a referendum in the Daily Telegraph newspaper, calling it “irresponsible and inconsistent”. Sturgeon renewed his demand that the British government approve an independence referendum.
Sturgeon said Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatened to “fight with the democratic will of the Scottish people” if he tried to block a vote. “You will not succeed. The Scots are the only people who decide the future of Scotland,” he added to Johnson.
Sturgeon: “Brexit has changed the starting point”
According to general legal opinion, the government in London must agree to a referendum on the separation of Scotland from the United Kingdom. In the first vote in 2014, 55 percent of Scots raised their voice against independence. However, Sturgeon insisted that Brexit, which was rejected by the Scots, changed the initial position.
Boris Johnson is not a Scottish fief.
British media predicted that the SNP would miss out on an absolute majority, playing Johnson’s hands. On the other hand, SNP and party experts emphasize that it is not the SNP result alone that is conclusive. “Boris Johnson is not some sort of fiefdom of Scotland,” said Deputy Prime Minister John Swain. What is more important is the majority in Parliament.
Referendum target by 2023
Freedom has been a major issue in the election campaign. Election expert John Curtis observed tactical votes in several constituencies: there, supporters of a union with Great Britain often voted not for their actual party, but for the representative of the opponents of independence with the greatest chance of victory. Voted together. The turnout was over 63 per cent, which was higher than ever. There were long queues in front of polling stations at many places.
The Supreme Court may eventually decide on a referendum. “If Boris Johnson wants to stop it, he has to go to court,” Sturgeon told Channel 4. The SNP is aiming for a referendum by the end of 2023.
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