LONDON, Sept. 19 (Xinhua) -- Britain's mainstream media Friday had a heated discussion on the referendum on Scotland's independence, which kept the territory within the United Kingdom.
According to Chief Counting Officers Mary Pitcaithly and Sue Bruce for the city of Edinburgh, 55.42 percent of Scots voted against independence while 44.58 percent voted in favor.
Scotland had voted to stay in the kingdom after voters decisively rejected independence, the BBC reported.
The report said Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond accepted the defeat and called for national unity after the referendum.
The referendum and the high turnout was a "triumph for the democratic process," Salmond was quoted as saying.
He also promised to keep his pledge in the Edinburgh agreement, which paved the way for the referendum, to respect the result and work for the benefit of Scotland and the whole country, according to the BBC.
The Times reported that Salmond's dream of Scottish independence was dashed Friday, when voters threw their support behind Britain in a result that promises to bury the separation issue for at least a generation.
Salmond's deputy, Nicola Sturgeon, conceded defeat with a handful of results still to be declared, saying there was a "real sense of disappointment that we have fallen narrowly short of securing a 'Yes' vote," according to the daily newspaper.
Meanwhile, Sky News said Scots' "No" vote on independence was not a total disaster for the first minister.
Salmond did not break up Britain, but came closer than anyone had imagined several months ago when the "No" campaign enjoyed a strong 20 point lead in the polls, the media group argued.
British Prime Minister David Cameron insisted on "Yes" versus "No," probably because he was confident that he would win, Sky News commented, saying his decision to take a gamble could yet have cost him the United Kingdom.
Reuters said Scotland spurned independence in a historic referendum that threatened to rip the kingdom apart, sow financial turmoil, and diminish Britain's remaining global clout.
The news agency described the vote for the 307-year-old union was a relief for millions of Britons including Cameron, whose job was on the line, as well as allies across the world which were horrified at the prospect of Britain's separation.
