London (CNN) The Scottish National Party is promising to hold a second independence referendum after election results announced Saturday saw pro-independence candidates gain a majority in the Scottish parliament. The results from Thursday's vote have put the issue firmly back on the table and set the stage for a clash with LondonIn her victory speech, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said her Scottish National Party (SNP) -- which wants to break away from the United Kingdom -- had delivered a "historic and extraordinary" win after finishing with 64 seats in the Scottish parliament, one short of a majority. Combined with the eight seats won by Scottish Greens, pro-independence parties now control 72 of the parliament's 129 seats. The Conservative party won 31 seats, Labour won 22, and the Liberal Democrats four seats. Sturgeon said that although her priority was to "lead Scotland through the pandemic and to keep people safe," her party still intends to ask for a second referendum on whether to end the nation's 300-year-old union with England.

Source: CNN May 09, 2021 11:26 UTC