Johnson must respect Scots' democracy, says Sturgeon

'He has no right of standing in the way of the people of Scotland making that choice, it is for Scotland to decide the future of the country not for any individual politician whether that's me or Boris Johnson, '' Sturgeon said at a polling centre in Glasgow.

Sturgeon, who leads the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP), has described the election as the most important in her country's history.

Scotland was voting on Thursday in a parliamentary election that could trigger a showdown with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson over a new independence referendum that might result in the break-up of the United Kingdom.

She has vowed to demand the legal powers for a referendum on Scottish independence by the end of 2023 if her party wins a majority in the 129-seat devolved parliament in Edinburgh.