John Swinney has been told to ditch his doomed ‘day one’ push for independence regardless of the election result.
With polls pointing to an SNP minority, and UK ministers ruling out another referendum, opposition parties urged him to call off the ‘constitutional chaos’.
The First Minister put breaking up Britain at the heart of his plan for the first 100 days of a re-elected SNP Scottish Government.
He claimed only an SNP majority would lead to a fresh vote, arguing the party’s 2011 landslide set a ‘precedent’ for securing referendum powers from Westminster.
But his aides admitted he would put civil servants and public money into the effort even if he fell short and needed the Greens to muster a pro-separation majority.
As voting to elect Holyrood’s 129 MSPs closed on Thursday night, Tory leader Russell Findlay said: ‘The Scottish Conservatives have given it their all in this campaign to encourage voters to stop an SNP majority and Swinney’s push for another referendum.
‘Whatever the result of this election, John Swinney should be focusing on what really matters instead of obsessing over independence.
‘People want the parliament to be focused on the cost-of-living crisis and fixing our public services rather than more constitutional chaos.
Scottish Tories leader Russell Findlay has urged John Swinney to focus on other matters - and not independence
Greens co-leader Ross Greer could help Swinney push for a new independence referendum
Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord cast his ballot at St James’ Church in Edinburgh... and it's not clear what stance his party would take on a referendum
‘It is the Scottish Conservatives who can always be trusted to stand up for Scotland’s place in the UK and Swinney’s lifelong dream to break it up.’
Last summer the First Minister set himself and his party the target of having at least 65 MSPs elected.
He said opening negotiations with the UK Government would be a day one priority for him.
His plan for the start of a fifth SNP term envisages a Holyrood vote on transferring referendum powers on the government’s first day. Mr Swinney also said he would publish a draft referendum Bill and convene a constitutional convention.
Scottish Liberal Democrat MP Wendy Chamberlain said: ‘Whoever is First Minister, they need to park the constitutional grievance mongering and get on with more urgent matters.
‘Like helping the hundreds of thousands of Scots on waiting lists and tackling the cost of living.
‘The fact that the Nationalists won’t rule out spending the next parliament focused on independence just shows how out of touch they are with ordinary Scots.’
In 2021, overnight counting was abandoned because of the Covid pandemic. This year, election authorities have repeated the timing out of choice.
Alex Cole-Hamilton, the Lib Dem leader, brought his dog to vote
Labour leader Anas Sarwar went to the polls accompanied by his family
John Swinney voted in Burrelton in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, with his wife Elizabeth
It means all 73 constituencies are being counted from 9am today, with the full results, including the eight regional list calculations, expected by early evening.
A low turnout could mean close results and potential delays for recounts.
With Reform UK splitting the anti-SNP vote, a fractured parliament appears in prospect. Earlier on Thursday, the leaders of the main parties visited their local polling stations.
Mr Swinney voted in Burrelton in Blairgowrie, Perthshire, with his wife Elizabeth.
Mr Findlay arrived by bicycle at his local polling station at Cleveden Secondary School in Glasgow.
Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar voted at Pollokshields Burgh Hall on the south of the city, accompanied by his wife Furheen and their two sons.
Reform UK Scotland leader Malcolm Offord cast his ballot at St James’ Church in Edinburgh.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton was at Davidson’s Mains Parish Church in the capital, accompanied by wife Gill and dog Bramble.
And Gillian Mackay, co-leader of the Scottish Greens, voted at Laurieston Community Hall near Falkirk, accompanied by her partner Alex and their son.
Mr Cole-Hamilton said his party, which hopes to increase its seat tally from four to ten, had had a ‘sensational’ campaign and turnout would be a ‘massive factor’.
He said: ‘We are eagerly awaiting the results.’
Despite 19 years of missteps and runaway spending, the Nationalists have topped the opinion polls throughout the six-week campaign, with Mr Swinney crediting his own leadership skills for its dominant position. However the party’s share of the vote is expected to slump from its 2021 level.
Although he called for Sir Keir Starmer to quit over the Peter Mandelson scandal, Mr Sarwar failed to distance himself from the fallout from Labour’s toxic Prime Minister.
Scottish Labour was also held back by a drab campaign that lacked memorable policies.
Mr Sarwar has insisted he will not accept a peerage if his plan to become First Minister is dashed, but many in his party believe a move to the Lords is inevitable. Scottish Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said: ‘Over the last six weeks me and my co-leader Ross Greer have travelled all across our country, and it is clear that people want change. The polls show that we could be on the verge of a historic result.
‘Whatever happens, our MSPs will work for people and planet, and for a fairer, greener future.’
Mr Findlay added: ‘I am proud of our manifesto, which was full of ambitious policies to get Scotland working again after two decades of SNP failure.
‘Our candidates stood firm against John Swinney’s independence obsession.
‘Whatever happens, our MSPs will demand the next parliament focuses on the cost-of-living crisis rather than constitutional chaos.’