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Scotland voters have opted to continue as part of the United Kingdom after 307 years in a historic referendum vote, although most observers believe there will be a change in the relationship in the coming months.
Three regions have not yet reported their results, but British media outlets have tallied the results and forecast a victory for the No side in the Scottish referendum.
The question on the ballot asked voters simply: “Should Scotland be an independent country?” and droves of voters turned out for their chance to weigh in on the future of the country.
Local officials said that more than 4.2 million people registered to cast a ballot in the referendum, which represents roughly 97 per cent of all eligible voters. Included in those eligible to vote were people as young as 16.
Alex Salmond, the first minister who led the independence campaign, made a final effort to woo voters Wednesday, saying the referendum represented an “opportunity of a lifetime.”
Salmond tweeted just before 6 a.m. local time Friday: “Well done to Glasgow, our commonwealth city, and to the people of Scotland for such a incredible support.”
Salmond’s Facebook page included a new post, an image with the words, “One Scotland.”
The Yes campaign were looking for a greater determination with oil and natural gas reserves in the North Sea, health care, and spending and taxation, among other issues.
The Yes camp appeared resigned to defeat as more councils reported results favouring the ‘No’ camp. Saying she was “personally bitterly disappointed” with the results, Deputy Scottish National Party leader Nicola Sturgeon told BBC that Scottish nationalists “need to pick ourselves up and move on.”
British Prime Minister David Cameron publicly congratulated the leader of the anti-independence movement Alistair Darling on Twitter, and is expected to speak to the result on Friday morning.
Cameron made an impassioned case for a No vote days earlier, warning that a vote for independence would be “forever” and urging voters to choose to stick together.
As well, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Bank were among the corporations threatening to move to England in the event of a Yes vote.
In the waning days of the campaign, the leaders of the three major British parties made a splashy promise on the front page of Scotland’s Daily Record to give enhanced powers to the country, likely foretelling a series of negotiations into the future.
Scotland has a population of just over 5 million, a small proportion of the more than 64 million people in the broader U.K.
Scotland is currently allotted 59 seats out of 650 in British Parliament.
The first six of 32 regional centres reporting early Friday all went into the No column, with Dundee and West Dunbartonshire then becoming the first centres to fall for the Yes side.
But through 22 regions, only four featured a Yes majority.
Clackmannanshire, the first region to report, was a win for the No vote, with 54 per cent rejecting an independent Scotland.
The fifth centre to report was remarkably close. The margin of victory among 54,572 total voters in Inverclyde was just 86 votes, with the No side again prevailing.
The margin between the two sides through the entire country was just 1,400 votes through eight centres — until Midlothian reported a comfortable result for the No campaign. Stirling and Dumfries were even more clear cut for No.
Glasgow’s vote count came in at just over 364,000, with a 53.5 per cent advantage for Yes.
The average turnout through 26 counted was 86 per cent — a record high for any Scottish election.
