Crucial Scottish elections on 'knife edge' as pro-independence SNP win early seats

Election staff member counts votes for the Scottish Parliamentary election at a counting centre in Glasgow, Scotland, Britain, May 7, 2021. REUTERS/Russell Cheyne

GLASGOW (Reuters) -Scotland's main pro-independence party captured dozens of seats on Friday in a Scottish parliament election that could determine the future of the United Kingdom, but early results left uncertainty over whether it would win a crucial majority.

The Scottish National Party says it will seek to hold a new vote on secession by the end of 2023 if there is a pro-independence majority returned to the devolved 129-seat parliament - setting up a potential legal showdown with Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who says he will refuse any such vote.