A woman walks to vote at a polling station in Edinburgh, Britain, Sept. 18, 2014. No campaign won the Scottish independence referendum to keep Scotland within UK, polling results showed on Friday. (Xinhua/Han Yan)
EDINBURGH, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- The "No" campaign won the Scottish referendum on Friday to keep the territory within the United Kingdom.
Chief Counting Officers Mary Pitcaithly and Sue Bruce for the city of Edinburgh announced that 55.42 percent of the Scots voted against independence while 44.58 percent voted in favor.
With a turnout of 84.48 percent, the votes counting started immediately after the polling stations closed on Thursday night. The referendum was overseen by the British Electoral Commission, an independent elections watchdog and regulator of party and election finance.
This is the first Scottish independence referendum in Britain's history and official figures showed that about 97 percent of those eligible to vote in Scotland signed up to vote in the referendum, which is set to be the biggest poll in Scotland's history.
If a simple majority of Scots voted for independence, Scotland would become independent on March 24, 2016 after a period of negotiations with the rest of Britain, according to the whitepaper Scotland's Future published by the Scottish government on Nov. 26, 2013.
As the "No" campaign has won, Scotland will have more power as promised by the leaders of the three main parties in London, namely, Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader David Cameron, Labor Party leader Ed Miliband and Deputy Prime Minister and Liberal Democratic Party leader Nick Clegg.
In October 2012, Cameron and Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, leader of the ruling Scottish National Party, signed the Edinburgh Agreement, allowing Scotland to hold an independence referendum in the autumn of 2014.
It is also the third referendum for Scotland after the two previous ones held respectively in 1979 and 1997 on Scottish devolution.
The referendum in 1979 failed to gain the mandatory 40 percent of the electorate, while the latter succeeded with an overwhelming majority of voters backing devolution.
As a devolved legislature, the Scottish parliament was reconvened in 1999 with authorities over some limited areas of home affairs, and the parliament of the United Kingdom keeps "reserved" powers including the ability to amend the terms of reference of the Scottish parliament.
Votes counting starts for Scottish independence referendum
EDINBURGH, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- The votes counting for the Scottish independence referendum started immediately after the ballots closed on Thursday night.
Polling stations in 32 local authorities across Scotland closed at 10 p.m. British Summer Time and the referendum results is expected to trickle in from as early as 1 a.m. on Friday. Full story
News Analysis: Politicians, experts underscore predicaments of independent Scotland
EDINBURGH, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- While Scotland is preparing for its historic referendum Thursday on whether to end its 307-year-old union with the rest of Britain on Thursday, politicians and experts have repeatedly voiced the adversities and predicaments met by an independent Sctoland.
While Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond, leader of the "Yes" campaign, has promised that Scots will retain the pound in an independent Scotland, analysts remain skeptical about the viability of this option. Full story
British foreign secretary confident of Scotland staying in union
COPENHAGEN, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- Visiting Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom Philip Hammond said here on Thursday that he is confident that the Scottish people will vote for the union.
"My hope is that the Scottish people will vote for the union, the hugely successful union that has delivered for all the people of the United Kingdom for many years," Hammond told a press briefing after talks with his Danish counterpart Martin Lidegaard. Full story
News Analysis: Scotland's referendum, if "Yes" vote, could trigger "chain of troubling impacts"
BRUSSELS, Sept. 18 (Xinhua) -- A "Yes" vote in the Sept. 18 referendum on Scotland's independence could trigger "a chain of troubling impacts," analysts say.
Thursday's referendum, destined to be historic, will decide on whether Scotland will remain part of the United Kingdom (UK), thus, of the EU and NATO, or become an independent state with all the consequences. Full story
