Scots Want Independence From Britain. Here is The Proof!

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon promised to move forward with another independence referendum after the Scottish National Party made a strong showing in Scottish parliament elections Saturday.

Also ReadRussia Promises Retaliation in Face of EU Sanctions

The pro-independence SNP won 64 of 129 seats, the Scotsman newspaper reported.

That leaves them one seat short of an overall majority, but the Scottish Greens elected eight candidates, increasing the total number of Greens in parliament by two and giving pro-independence parties 62 seats total -- 56% of all seats in the governing body.

The Scottish Conservatives won 31 seats, with five constituencies and 26 on regional lists - the same number as in 2016 - retaining their place as the second largest party.

The Scotsman also reported that voter turnout records were likely to break those of previous elections.

"The people of Scotland have voted to give pro-independence parties a majority in the Scottish Parliament," Sturgeon said late Saturday.

Given that, she said, "there is simply no democratic justification whatsoever for Boris Johnson or anyone else seeking to block the right of the people of Scotland to choose our future."

In 2014 Scottish voters rejected an independence referendum, with 55% of voters choosing to remain in the United Kingdom.

But SNP leaders say Brexit -- which 62% of Scottish voters opposed -- has changed the equation.

SNP officials have called for a second referendum multiple times since the failed 2014 vote -- most recently in 2019, with Sturgeon calling for a 2020 vote.

But the UK government formally rejected that demand in January 2020, saying it would "continue the political stagnation Scotland has seen for the past decade."

And in a Friday interview with The Telegraph, British prime minister Boris Johnson said, "I think a referendum in the current context is irresponsible and reckless."