Scottish National Party (SNP) on Saturday appeared likely to fall short of gaining absolute majority in the devolved parliament. The SNP strongly favours a fresh Scottiosh independence referendum. The plan has been termed reckless by UK PM Boris Johnson.

The UK voted in local and regional elections on "Super Thursday" in its first major polls since Brexit and the pandemic. The count is much slower than usual due to virus safety measures.

Johnson's Conservative Party has performed strongly in England, outdoing Labour in its traditional heartlands and taking control of northeastern Hartlepool in a key parliamentary by-election.

Labour held onto power in the Senedd Cymru devolved parliament in Wales and also won several high-profile mayoral races.

However, the focus remained on Scotland. where a vote for the devolved parliament in Edinburgh saw the ruling SNP seek a parliamentary majority as a mandate for a fresh referendum on independence, or "indyref2", that could reshape the UK.

SNP has so far won 60 of the 71 declared seats. However, it has had to concede defeat on several target seats. The BBC has projected that SNP would get 63 seats in total.

Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said Saturday the devolved parliament would undoubtedly have a majority of members who back independence from the United Kingdom following elections.

SNP is going towards fourth successive term in power but to claim majority, it would need 65 out of 129 seats.

Scots vote twice, once for a constituency MSP and once for a party, with those votes allocated regionally.&nbsp;

The proportional representation system is designed to prevent a single party like the SNP dominating.

(With inputs from agencies) 
&nbsp;

Scottish National Party (SNP) on Saturday appeared likely to fall short of gaining absolute majority in the devolved parliament. The SNP strongly favours a fresh Scottiosh independence referendum.

Scottish National Party (SNP) on Saturday appeared likely to fall short of gaining absolute majority in the devolved parliament. The SNP strongly favours a fresh Scottiosh independence referendum. The plan has been termed reckless by UK PM Boris Johnson. The UK voted in local and regional elections on "Super Thursday" in its first major polls since Brexit and the pandemic. The count is much slower than usual due to virus safety measures. Johnson's Conservative Party has performed strongly in England, outdoing Labour in its traditional heartlands and taking control of northeastern Hartlepool in a key parliamentary by-election. Labour held onto power in the Senedd Cymru devolved parliament in Wales and also won several high-profile mayoral races. However, the focus remained on Scotland. where a vote for the devolved parliament in Edinburgh saw the ruling SNP seek a parliamentary majority as a mandate for a fresh referendum on independence, or "indyref2", that could reshape the UK. SNP has so far won 60 of the 71 declared seats. However, it has had to concede defeat on several target seats. The BBC has projected that SNP would get 63 seats in total. Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon said Saturday the devolved parliament would undoubtedly have a majority of members who back independence from the United Kingdom following elections. SNP is going towards fourth successive term in power but to claim majority, it would need 65 out of 129 seats. Scots vote twice, once for a constituency MSP and once for a party, with those votes allocated regionally. The proportional representation system is designed to prevent a single party like the SNP dominating. (With inputs from agencies)

Scottish National Party projected to fall short of majority

The&nbsp;Scottish&nbsp;National&nbsp;Party&nbsp;hoped the second day of vote-counting Saturday would bring it a slim&nbsp;majority&nbsp;in the devolved parliament while Prime Minister Boris Johnson decried its plan for an&nbsp;independence&nbsp;referendum.

The UK voted in a series of local and regional polls on "Super Thursday" in its first major vote since Brexit and the pandemic.

Johnson's Conservative&nbsp;Party&nbsp;performed strongly and claimed a traditional Labour seat in a parliamentary by-election.

But the focus remained on Scotland, where a vote for the devolved parliament in Edinburgh tested public support for the SNP's plan to hold a fresh referendum on&nbsp;independence&nbsp;that could reshape the UK.

The SNP on Friday won 39 of the 48 seats declared but lost two key targets. It needs 65 seats to claim a&nbsp;majority&nbsp;at Holyrood for the first time since 2011.

'Hopes fading'&nbsp;

"Hopes of SNP&nbsp;majority&nbsp;fading", the Herald daily headlined its election story, while The Scotsman wrote: "SNP hopes on a&nbsp;knife-edge&nbsp;amid gains for Nicola Sturgeon's&nbsp;party."

Deputy First Minister John Sweeney told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday morning that the SNP "is going to be the largest&nbsp;party&nbsp;in the&nbsp;Scottish&nbsp;Parliament" but said an overall&nbsp;majority&nbsp;"was always a very, very challenging mountain for us to climb".

He predicted that the&nbsp;Scottish&nbsp;parliament would however have a&nbsp;majority&nbsp;"of people who are committed to the holding of an&nbsp;independence&nbsp;referendum." The other pro-independence&nbsp;party&nbsp;with Holyrood seats is, the&nbsp;Scottish&nbsp;Greens.&nbsp;

Johnson in an interview with The Daily Telegraph indicated that he would not agree to a referendum even if the SNP wins a&nbsp;majority.

"I think a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless," Johnson told the right-wing broadsheet.

Asked what he would do if Sturgeon pushed for a referendum without Westminster's consent, he said "there's no case now for such a thing... I don't think it's what the times call for at all."

Sturgeon has stressed that she will only hold a legal referendum and that it will be held when the virus crisis is over and not before the end of 2023.&nbsp;

"I pledge today to get back to work immediately, to lead this country in recovery from Covid, and then, when the time is right, to offer this country the choice of a better future," she said Friday.

The SNP also pledges that independent Scotland would seek to rejoin the European Union after most Scots voted against Brexit.

Johnson told The Telegraph he had the impression that the SNP had "moved away from the idea of a referendum, and I think very wisely."

The last referendum in 2014 saw 55 per cent vote "no". Recent polls suggest "no" would win again in an immediate referendum, as many fear ongoing upheaval post-Brexit.

'Very encouraging'&nbsp;

On Friday Johnson's Tories won a landslide in the northeast parliamentary seat of Hartlepool, in a bitter blow for Labour and its leader Keir Starmer.

Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pm-johnsons-party-sweeps-aside-labour-in-northern-english-town-383549">PM Johnson's party sweeps aside Labour in northern English town</a>

The Tory mayor for Tees Valley, also in northeast England, won re-election, also by a landslide, increasing his share of the vote compared to 2017.

Johnson described the results as "very encouraging" for his government.

The results continue the trend from the last general election in December 2019, when Brexit was the dominant issue and&nbsp;Conservatives grabbed a string of seats across Labour's so-called "Red Wall" heartlands in northern England.

This time, Johnson may have benefited from Britain's successful vaccine rollout, despite the country also suffering one of the world's worst Covid-19 death tolls.

Dogged by scandals in recent weeks, Johnson campaigned on his record of finally having "got Brexit done".&nbsp;

He also touted government economic support during the pandemic and the vaccine drive.

The Scottish National Party hoped the second day of vote-counting Saturday would bring it a slim majority in the devolved parliament while Prime Minister Boris Johnson decried its plan for an independence referendum.

The Scottish National Party hoped the second day of vote-counting Saturday would bring it a slim majority in the devolved parliament while Prime Minister Boris Johnson decried its plan for an independence referendum. The UK voted in a series of local and regional polls on "Super Thursday" in its first major vote since Brexit and the pandemic. Johnson's Conservative Party performed strongly and claimed a traditional Labour seat in a parliamentary by-election. But the focus remained on Scotland, where a vote for the devolved parliament in Edinburgh tested public support for the SNP's plan to hold a fresh referendum on independence that could reshape the UK. The SNP on Friday won 39 of the 48 seats declared but lost two key targets. It needs 65 seats to claim a majority at Holyrood for the first time since 2011. 'Hopes fading' "Hopes of SNP majority fading", the Herald daily headlined its election story, while The Scotsman wrote: "SNP hopes on a knife-edge amid gains for Nicola Sturgeon's party." Deputy First Minister John Sweeney told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday morning that the SNP "is going to be the largest party in the Scottish Parliament" but said an overall majority "was always a very, very challenging mountain for us to climb". He predicted that the Scottish parliament would however have a majority "of people who are committed to the holding of an independence referendum." The other pro-independence party with Holyrood seats is, the Scottish Greens. Johnson in an interview with The Daily Telegraph indicated that he would not agree to a referendum even if the SNP wins a majority. "I think a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless," Johnson told the right-wing broadsheet. Asked what he would do if Sturgeon pushed for a referendum without Westminster's consent, he said "there's no case now for such a thing... I don't think it's what the times call for at all." Sturgeon has stressed that she will only hold a legal referendum and that it will be held when the virus crisis is over and not before the end of 2023. "I pledge today to get back to work immediately, to lead this country in recovery from Covid, and then, when the time is right, to offer this country the choice of a better future," she said Friday. The SNP also pledges that independent Scotland would seek to rejoin the European Union after most Scots voted against Brexit. Johnson told The Telegraph he had the impression that the SNP had "moved away from the idea of a referendum, and I think very wisely." The last referendum in 2014 saw 55 per cent vote "no". Recent polls suggest "no" would win again in an immediate referendum, as many fear ongoing upheaval post-Brexit. 'Very encouraging' On Friday Johnson's Tories won a landslide in the northeast parliamentary seat of Hartlepool, in a bitter blow for Labour and its leader Keir Starmer. Also read | PM Johnson's party sweeps aside Labour in northern English town The Tory mayor for Tees Valley, also in northeast England, won re-election, also by a landslide, increasing his share of the vote compared to 2017. Johnson described the results as "very encouraging" for his government. The results continue the trend from the last general election in December 2019, when Brexit was the dominant issue and Conservatives grabbed a string of seats across Labour's so-called "Red Wall" heartlands in northern England. This time, Johnson may have benefited from Britain's successful vaccine rollout, despite the country also suffering one of the world's worst Covid-19 death tolls. Dogged by scandals in recent weeks, Johnson campaigned on his record of finally having "got Brexit done". He also touted government economic support during the pandemic and the vaccine drive.

Scottish independence party seeks majority in 'knife-edge' count

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Scottish National Party projected to fall short of majority

Scottish independence party seeks majority in 'knife-edge' count