Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said her pro-independence Scottish National Party would not press for a second independence referendum until the majority of Scots wanted to leave the United Kingdom.
"If there is to be a second referendum, whether that is in the next parliament or in a future parliament, we first have to earn the right to propose it," Ms Sturgeon said in a statement as she addressed supporters before Scottish elections.
"Setting the date for a referendum before a majority of the Scottish people have been persuaded that independence. and therefore another referendum, is the best future for our country is the wrong way round," she added.
The ruling SNP is on course to win another overall majority in Scotland's devolved parliament, giving it a further five years in government in Edinburgh, according to polls.
The SNP has been in power since 2007.
Scottish voters rejected independence by 55% to 45% in a referendum in 2014, but the SNP went on to win a sweeping victory in a national British election in 2015, taking all but three of Scotland's 59 seats in parliament in London.
