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Second independence referendum "highly likely": Scottish First Minister

Xinhua, June 24, 2016 Adjust font size:

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said here Friday a second independence referendum was "highly likely" after Britain voted to leave the EU.

It was "democratically unacceptable" that Scotland faced the prospect of being taken out of the EU against its will, Sturgeon said at a press conference held inside the First Minister's official residence.

Britain voted on Thursday in a historic referendum to leave the EU after 43 years in the bloc. The Leave campaign received about 52 percent of the votes, against 48 percent for the Remain side.

However, Scotland voted 62 percent in favor of remaining in the EU, with the majority in each council of its 32 local authority areas voting to remain.

The Brexit vote would lead to a "significant and material change" to Britain's constitution, and an option was now "on the table" since many people who voted against Scottish independence in 2014 would be reassessing their decision, said Sturgeon.

The Scottish government would begin preparing legislation to enable another independence vote, she added.

There was no mandate to hold a second independence referendum in the ruling Scottish National Party (SNP) manifesto for the Scottish Parliament election in May.

The majority of Scots chose to stay in Britain in the 2014 independence referendum. Endit