NICOLA Sturgeon has said that the SNP “emphatically” won the election and that it would be an absurdity for any Unionists to try and block a second independence vote in the face of such a mandate.

Speaking to the BBC from a vote count in Glasgow, the First Minister also said it was “not a huge surprise” that the SNP are unlikely to return an outright majority.

However, she played down the importance of her party winning a majority in its own right, saying that the parliament looked set to have a large Yes majority and that mandate should be enough by “any normal standard of democracy”.

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Sturgeon told the BBC she was “thrilled” with the election results, adding: “We’ve won a higher share of the vote in the constituency ballot than in 2016 and actually we’ve won more votes and a higher share of the vote than any party in the history of devolution.

“By any standards, this is a historic achievement, a quite extraordinary achievement for the SNP.

“Our vote share is up, the vote share of the other main parties is down, so the SNP has won this election emphatically.

“The message we took to the people of Scotland has been endorsed, and I now intend to get back to work to deliver on all of what we put before the Scottish people.”

She went on: “While we don’t know the final tally of seats right now, it looks as though it is beyond any doubt that it will be a pro-independence majority in that Scottish parliament. By any normal standard of democracy, that, the majority, should have the commitments it made to the people of Scotland honoured.

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"For any Westminster politician who tries to stand in the way of that I would say two things. Firstly, you’re not picking a fight with the SNP, you are picking a fight with the democratic wishes of the Scottish people. Secondly, you will not succeed.”

The National:

The First Minister called for the Scottish parliament to have the power to decide when to hold the second independence vote, saying that is “not a decision for Boris Johnson or for any Westminster politician”.

She went on: “It is for the people of Scotland to decide their own future. That is not a demand from me or the SNP, that is what the people of Scotland have voted for.

“In normal democratic debate, parties that promise something in an election and get elected are meant to deliver on those commitments.

“It’s an absurdity that in Scotland we seem to have other parties determined to block the party or parties that have won a mandate for something from delivering that. The people of Scotland of course are sovereign.”

The National:

Sturgeon also congratulated newly elected MSP Kaukab Stewart (above left), who became the first ever woman of colour to win a Holyrood seat when she took Glasgow Kelvin today.

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The SNP leader said: “While I’m delighted about all the SNP MSPs elected, I am thrilled beyond words to see Kaukab Stewart elected.

“It has taken us far too long, more than 20 years, but today she becomes the first woman of colour to be elected to our national parliament.

“Party politics aside, this is a really special and a very significant moment for Scotland and I could not be prouder right now.”