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Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon
Photo: JEFF J MITCHELL / AFP
In the parliamentary elections in Scotland, the pro-independence party SNP declared itself the winner.
"Absolutely no one would have predicted the extent and the record height of our victory in this election," said the chairman of the Scottish National Party (SNP), Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon, on Saturday evening.
Shortly before all the votes were counted, it was already clear that the SNP was by far the strongest force in parliament and that it had even improved its result.
However, an absolute majority will probably miss the party that advocates a return to the EU.
According to a projection by the broadcaster BBC on Saturday, the SNP could have 63 seats.
65 parliamentary seats are required for an absolute majority.
However, a majority of pro-independence supporters is still expected in parliament, as the Greens are also in favor of breaking away from Great Britain.
SNP is planning a new referendum
The Scottish independence advocates want to push through a new independence referendum.
Sturgeon renewed its demand that the British government approve a referendum.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson threatens a "battle with the democratic desires of the Scottish people" if he tries to block a vote, said Sturgeon.
In an interview with the Daily Telegraph, Johnson commented negatively on a possible referendum: "I think that a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless."
For 314 years Scotland has been the United Kingdom, along with England and Wales.
After the referendum of 2014, in which the Scots voted to remain in Great Britain, the United Kingdom decided to leave the European Union against the will of the Scots.
Should the Scots vote in favor of self-sufficiency in a second vote, it would be the greatest shock to the UK since Ireland gained independence a century ago.
Labor wins in Wales
In the general election in Wales, the ruling Labor Party clearly won, but narrowly missed an absolute majority.
Prime Minister Mark Drakeford's party comes to 30 of the 60 seats in Parliament in Cardiff, as the electoral commission announced on Saturday.
For an absolute majority in the so-called Senedd, 31 seats are required.
So far, Labor had been 29. Labor had ruled Wales for decades.
Drakeford was able to increase its standing in the corona pandemic through a policy of the steady hand.
kim / dpa / AFP / Reuters