Image source, Getty Images

The final results are in after a second day of counting in the Scottish Parliament election. Here are the key points:

• The SNP is the biggest party at Holyrood with 64 MSPs (up one) - one short of an overall majority
• The shape of the parliament is similar to the 2016 result, with the Scottish Greens making the biggest gains. The Conservatives have 31 MSPs (unchanged), Labour 22 (down two), Greens eight (up two) and the Lib Dems four (down one)

• Nicola Sturgeon said she planned to "get on with the job" of keeping people safe and Covid recovery - but the pro-independence majority of SNP and Greens meant there was no "democratic justification" for Boris Johnson to block a referendum against the "will of the Scottish people"
• Alex Salmond's Alba party did not return any MSPs but he said Alba was "here to stay" and he was staying on as leader. The party plans to contest council elections in Scotland next year
• The SNP took 62 of the 73 first past-the-post constituency seats. Three seats changed hands, with the SNP taking two (Ayr and Edinburgh Central) from the Tories and one (East Lothian) from Labour
• In the regional lists the Greens gained one seat from Labour in Central Scotland and one from the Lib Dems in North East. The Tories gained one from Labour in Highlands and Islands
• The SNP success in the constituency vote meant they had fewer list MSPs in South of Scotland, with Labour and the Tories both gaining one there
• Scottish Green co-leader Lorna Slater became an MSP on the Lothian list while her fellow co-leader Patrick Harvie was re-elected on the Glasgow list
• The results saw a number of ground-breaking moments. The SNP's Kaukab Stewart and Pam Gosal of the Conservatives became the first women of colour to be elected to Holyrood. Labour's Pam Duncan-Glancy, who said she was delayed at the Glasgow count on Friday because staff didn't believe she was a candidate, is the first permanent wheelchair user to be elected
• The new crop of MSPs includes two former MPs and one current one - Angus Robertson (SNP), Paul Sweeney (Labour) andScottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross.
• About a third of the new faces have not been MSPs before. One Scottish government minister, Paul Wheelhouse, failed to get re-elected. And 58 MSPs are women, a record number at Holyrood

Nicola Sturgeon's to-do list after election victorypublished at 22:03 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

22:03 BST 8 May 2021

Glenn Campbell
BBC Scotland Political Editor

Image source, bbc

Having secured a fourth term in power for the SNP, Nicola Sturgeon is not short of things to do as first minister.

She has to form a government - that could be another SNP-only administration, unless she wants to explore a more formal arrangement with the independence-supporting Greens to secure an outright majority.

She has to reshuffle her ministers, with four cabinet posts - including that of health secretary - needing filled as a result of retirements.

There are also important decisions that need to be taken on coronavirus - with a further easing of restrictions due on 17 May, plans to reopen international travel to consider and concern over Covid cases in Moray to address.

Ms Sturgeon has insisted that dealing with the pandemic and its aftermath will be her immediate priority - although clearly she intends to press the case for another independence referendum too.

There are also formalities - being sworn in with the other 128 MSPs on Thursday, before putting herself forward in parliament for re-election as first minister the following week.

SNP deputy leader Keith Brown: "It is a fantastic win for the SNP. We have won this election out the park and in the process secured a historic fourth term. We have got perhaps the most exciting manifesto I have ever seen in the SNP, and we are looking forward to implementing those policies."

Scottish Conservative MSP Craig Hoy: "This is a very good result for the Scottish Conservatives. We asked the pro-UK majority to come behind us and stop the SNP getting a majority, and we have done that. They thought they would walk into it and we have deprived them of that."

Labour MP Ian Murray: "We came into this campaign looking to stop the rot. Anas Sarwar has led from the front and he has won this election in terms of the party leaders and has put Scottish Labour back on the park. We are optimistic and looking forward to the future now."

Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater: “With this record result, the Scottish Greens have grown our votes and influence in Scotland at this election. That’s because while other parties focused on short-term tactical voting, the Scottish Greens conducted a positive campaign on a green recovery and tackling the climate crisis."

Scottish Lib Dem leader Willie Rennie: "We have had some astonishing constituency results, with almost half the vote in Shetland, more in Orkney and North East Fife and the highest vote for any constituency since the formation of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh Western. It is frustrating that we weren’t able to move the dial in other constituencies and on the regional lists."

'A comfortable pro-independence majority'published at 21:14 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

21:14 BST 8 May 2021

Nick Eardley
Political correspondent

The SNP’s victory in these elections means the party is heading for at least 19 years in power. That’s remarkable.

Some will be slightly disappointed at not achieving a majority. But the fact there is a comfortable pro-independence majority means the issue is going to continue to be a significant one in Scottish and UK politics for years.

In Downing Street, the plan was always to say no to indyref2. That hasn’t changed today, meaning a big political and potentially legal battle is coming.

But maybe not immediately. Nicola Sturgeon has said her immediate focus will be the pandemic. That’s one way in which the Scottish and UK governments agree.

Next Scottish Parliament will be 'most diverse yet'published at 21:08 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

21:08 BST 8 May 2021

Kirsten Campbell
BBC Scotland political correspondent

Image source, PA Media

The sixth session of the Scottish Parliament is going to be the most diverse yet. There will be more women than have ever been elected before, more disabled MSPs and more politicians from minority ethnic backgrounds.

A total of 58 female candidates have been successful. The previous high was 48, back in 1999.

The SNP actively chose to replace MSPs who were standing down with female candidates where possible.

Labour too sought to promote women by zipping candidates, alternating men and women on their party list. Leader Anas Sarwar, who by rights should have topped the Glasgow list, ceded the top spot to Pauline McNeill to set an example.

The challenge for Holyrood will be to retain this new cohort.

Politics is a notoriously un-family-friendly business. Four female MSPs with young children decided to stand down this year to find a better work-life balance.

Image source, bbc

With all the results in, the SNP has won a fourth consecutive victory in the Scottish Parliament election.

The party finished on 64 seats - one more than in 2016, but one short of an overall majority.

The Conservatives won 31 seats, Labour 22, the Scottish Greens eight and Liberal Democrats four.

You can check out all the results here.

Curtice: 'Room for argument' on independencepublished at 20:55 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

20:55 BST 8 May 2021

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

The final share of the vote for the pro-independence parties combined on the two ballots is as follows:

• Constituency vote 49
• List vote 50.1

This leaves plenty of room for argument as to whether or not this election did register majority support for the idea of holding another referendum on independence.

Greens will play a 'vital' rolepublished at 20:47 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

20:47 BST 8 May 2021

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, EPA

For a minority SNP administration, Greens are vital to Holyrood voting through an independence referendum.

There is much that the two sides can agree on, including action on climate change. The Greens could hope to force a faster pace of reduction in emissions, pushing for more spend on public transport, less on roads, and improved energy efficiency in homes and public buildings.

The tensions are more likely to be around oil and gas. The SNP is signed up to a transition from burning fossil fuels to renewable energy, but it is more cautious than the Greens about the speed of winding down the oil and gas sector.

That has become politically sensitive in the Holyrood election. Tactical voting has underlined the battle between the SNP and Tories in north east Scotland, once the SNP’s heartland.

Since last year’s plummet in the oil price, the SNP cannot be seen to be too negative about the offshore industry without having a strong and credible message about the transition and securing jobs.

The Greens could hope to make progress, as they claim to have done in 2018, in shifting tax policy. Their manifesto was in favour of a shift to taxing wealth.

That would include reform of council tax and business rates, to base tax on land and asset values. The SNP has wanted to replace council tax as well, but has given up on proposing a clear alternative in the hope of cross-party agreement.

It would be wary of major reforms, for the risk of political backlash from those who lose out.

The alliances needed for a minority governmentpublished at 20:45 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

20:45 BST 8 May 2021

Douglas Fraser
Scotland business & economy editor

Image source, Reuters

The election of another SNP minority government opens up questions of where it would build a coalition or shifting alliances needed to secure votes, legislation and budgets.

Having done so as a minority administration between 2007 and 2011, and again since 2016, it has a lot of experience in making that happen.

And having built up a rapport in the most recent parliament with Scottish Greens, on budgets as well as independence, that is the obvious place to look for the big votes.

Greens point out the sessions when the SNP relied more on Conservative MSPs to get its business through.

A coalition would likely involve a formal deal on legislation. Deals between Labour and Lib Dems in 1999 and 2003 were brokered by civil servants and depended heavily on finding common ground in manifestos.

The Lib Dems secured a disproportionately large number of ministerial jobs, and held a veto over Labour on unforeseen votes.

With their experience of minority government, it seems unlikely the SNP would go for that arrangement unless forced.

The Scottish Greens would also be wary, if they look at the Lib Dems' track record at Holyrood and Westminster. Junior partners in coalitions can be burned by the compromises required.

The SNP could look for a "confidence and supply" arrangement, to secure budgets and when other opposition parties put down motions of no confidence.

But Greens have also been learning lessons about how to make the most of their leverage, and any such deal could be hard won by the SNP.

Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar says his party are "on a journey" and "back on the pitch" despite being projected to finish with two fewer seats (22) than they achieved in the 2016 election.

Mr Sarwar, who has only been in the role for 10 weeks, told BBC Scotland that time was not on his side - but that "even his harshest critics" would say the party has "come a long way in that time".

"I am happy compared to where we were 10 weeks ago, but am I satisfied in terms of where I want us to get to? Of course not," he said. "We are on a journey and I recognise that.”

Mr Sarwar, who returns to Holyrood on the Glasgow regional list, maintains Scottish Labour "have a credibility again" after a "positive and energetic campaign".

"We are back on the pitch and people aren’t embarrassed anymore to say they vote Labour," he added.

He also pledged to work with other parties to prioritise the country's recovery from the Covid crisis.

Mr Sarwar also hailed the election of the first women of colour to Holyrood and the success of Labour's Pam Duncan-Glancy, who will be the parliament's first permanent wheelchair user.

The SNP won six of the nine constituency seats in the Lothian region, meaning they did not pick up any additional members on the regional list despite getting the most votes.

The Conservatives got three seats on the list:

• Miles Briggs
• Sue Webber
• Jeremy Balfour

Labour won two:

• Sarah Boyack
• Foysol Choudhury

Scottish Greens won two:

• Alison Johnstone
• Lorna Slater (party co-leader)

Full results here

Image source, PA Media

People have two votes in Scottish Parliament elections - one for a constituency MSP, and another for a regional ballot.

There are 73 constituency MSPs, each elected on a first-past-the-post system similar to the UK general election - the winner is the candidate who receives the most votes in each constituency.

In the regional ballot, people vote for a party. The parties are then allocated a number of MSPs depending on how many votes they receive - once the number of constituencies already won in that region is taken into account - to make the overall result more proportional.

There are eight electoral regions, each with seven regional MSPs. These are:

• Central Scotland
• Glasgow
• Highlands and Islands
• Lothian
• Mid-Scotland and Fife
• North east Scotland
• South Scotland
• West Scotland

This means that people in Scotland are each represented by eight MSPs - one representing their constituency and the other seven representing their region.

The Scottish government is formed from the party that hold the most seats in the parliament, or alternatively a coalition of more than one party.

It is led by the first minister, who appoints a number of ministers to be in charge of departments such as education, health and finance.

Curtice: SNP grab list seat in South Scotlandpublished at 20:20 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

20:20 BST 8 May 2021

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

The South of Scotland result has now been officially declared.

The SNP have managed to grab the last of the list seats in this region, so the party has managed to win 64 seats rather than 63.

The SNP gained two extra constituency seats in the South Scotland region – East Lothian and Ayr.

Their success in the constituency – taking six of the nine seats in the region – means they drop down from three regional list seats to just one.

The Conservatives, who lost the constituency seat of Ayr, picked up an extra regional list seat after a strong showing on the additional member list.

The seats in South of Scotland were:

Conservative won three (up one):

• Craig Hoy
• Brian Whittle
• Sharon Dowey

Labour won three (up one):

• Colin Smyth
• Carol Mochan
• David Whitfield

SNP won one (down two)

• Emma Harper

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

In the aftermath of the Scottish Parliament election, there will doubtless be attempts by both sides of the constitutional debate to claim that their side of the argument is the more popular.

However, it looks as though this is not a debate that either side can win.

Given the results that are in so far, it looks as though the SNP plus the Greens are heading for 49% of the constituency vote, and that the SNP plus the Greens and Alba may win 51% of the list vote.

In truth, the only safe conclusion one can draw from these results is that Scotland is indeed divided down the middle on the constitutional question.

Image source, PA Media

Alex Salmond has failed in his bid to return to the Scottish Parliament, as his Alba party missed out on a seat in the North East regional list

Alba polled 8,269 votes in the region, 2.3% of the vote - well short of the number required to get an MSP.

The former first minister and SNP leader had earlier conceded that his new party was unlikely to return any parliamentarians to Holyrood

Mr Salmond says he will continue as party leader.

In a statement he said the 32 Alba candidates had been "injecting urgency" into the need to deliver independence and that it intended to stay on the political scene. It plans to hold a conference in June and contest local elections in Scotland next year.

The SNP won eight of the nine constituency seats in the Mid Scotland and Fife region, so did not get any MSPs under the additional member system.

The Conservatives won four:

• Murdo Fraser
• Liz Smith
• Dean Lockhart
• Alexander Stewart

Labour won two:

• Claire Baker
• Alex Rowley

Scottish Greens won one:

• Mark Ruskell

Full results here

'Nip and tuck' between Labour and SNP in South Scotlandpublished at 19:44 British Summer Time 8 May 2021

19:44 BST 8 May 2021

Professor Sir John Curtice
Polling expert

With just one of the South Scotland constituencies to declare its list result, it looks as though it may be nip and tuck between Labour and the SNP for the last of the seven list seats.

Labour might have a slightly better chance, but the SNP could yet edge it. If they were to do so then the party would end up on 64 seats rather than 63.

In the North East, the list results were in line with predictions - four Conservatives, two Labour and one Green.

BBC Radio Scotland

Alistair Carmichael, the Liberal Democrats’ MP for Orkney and Shetland since 2001, said the predicted outcome for Willie Rennie's Scottish party - which would see them drop from five seats to four in Holyrood - was a “disappointing result, there is no getting away from that”.

Despite that, Mr Carmichael said there was nothing about the party's campaign "for which we should be apologising or should be embarrassed".

He congratulated the SNP, and Nicola Sturgeon in particular, for “a quite remarkable election outcome”.

Ms Sturgeon was "right", he said, in saying she would prioritise dealing with the pandemic first, but believed there were "mixed messages” in her comments on an independence referendum, which “suggested her mind might well be elsewhere”.

As long as the first minister "is prepared to put the recovery first, then she will get a fair hearing from us," Mr Carmichael told BBC Radio Scotland.

Pam Gosal has become the second woman of colour to be elected to the Scottish Parliament.

The Conservative candidate was elected as an MSP via the Glasgow list.

Earlier this year, Ms Gosal said she had experienced racist abuse throughout her life but said it would never stop her. Read more here.