Scotland votes "No" to independence

With the vote count nearing its end, it is now certain that Scottish voters have rejected independence from the United Kingdom by a substantial margin.

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Scotland rejects independence in historic referendum

AFP – Scotland has rejected independence in a referendum that leaves the United Kingdom intact but opens the door to wider autonomy following a huge turnout, preliminary results showed Friday.

The "No" camp was ahead by 55.42 percent to 44.58 percent for the "Yes" camp with 31 out of 32 local areas counted.

"No" campaigners across Scotland cheered as the results came in, while "Yes" activists watched dejected and in tears.

The outcome dashes the hopes of the hundreds of thousands of Scots who voted to break away on Thursday in an unprecedented vote that ignited debate about governance in Britain but will reassure those worried about the economic risks of a break-up.

The financial markets rewarded the result with the pound rising against the dollar on the currency markets.

In the run-up to the vote, Britain's three main political parties promised greater powers for
Scotland's parliament including on tax and benefits in a last-minute bid to convince voters to stay in the union.

Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said the referendum had shown a "strong demand for change" and insisted the British government in London must now make good on its promises.

"Scotland has changed forever, there's no turning back," she said on Friday.

British Prime Minister David Cameron on Friday promised to grant new powers to all parts of the United Kingdom after the separatists in Scotland won 1.5 million votes in an independence referendum but were beaten by pro-unity supporters.

"Just as the people of Scotland will have more power over their affairs, so it follows that the people of England, Wales and Northern Ireland must have a bigger say over theirs," he said.

Scotland's First Minister Alex Salmond on Friday conceded defeat in his party's campaign for independence, while insisting there was "substantial" support for breaking away from the United Kingdom.

"I accept that verdict of the people and I call on all of Scotland to follow suit in accepting the democratic verdict of the people of Scotland."

Salmond hailed the turnout as a "triumph for the democratic process and participation in politics" after an estimated turnout of more 80 percent, "one of the highest in the democratic world".

Earlier story

Scotland votes "No" to independence

Latest: (12:10pm) The results from Fife have now given the "No" side enough votes to guarantee
Scotland will remain a part of the United Kingdom.

The vote count is not quite over, but for the results declared so far, Scottish voters have rejected independence from the United Kingdom by a substantial margin.

When the count reached the 50 percent level, it was 56% for "No" versus 44% for "Yes". That meant it would take a massive "Yes" vote in urban areas like Glasgow for the independence movement to succeed, something that seemed almost impossible And when the Glasgow vote did come in a few minutes ago, it was not nearly enough to overturn the big lead for the "No" vote. "Yes" won in the city by only 194,779 to 169,347. The BBC has just predicted the overall "No" vote throughout Scotland will be about 55 percent.

Leaders in the "Yes" campaign, therefore, are beginning to concede defeat.

Whatever the final result, the vote has been a huge success with a turnout of over 85 percent.

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