MOSCOW, September 19 (RAPSI) - Scottish nationalists who initiated a referendum on the country’s independence have conceded defeat. The majority of voters supported a unified Great Britain, RIA Novosti reports.

"Our referendum was an agreed and consented process. Scotland has decided No at this stage to become and independent country and I accept that verdict," the leader of the pro-Scottish independence campaign and the current First Minister of Scotland Alex Salmond said.

In the September 18 referendum in Scotland, the people were asked to decide whether the country should remain part of the United Kingdom or become an independent state. Until the last minute, the poll results did not give a clear picture of the probable outcome. In each poll the votes were distributed differently, which indicates that the fate of the region was determined by those who were still undecided.

The results from the majority of Scottish regions show that most residents voted against independence. Some 55.4% of Scottish citizens supported unity while 44.6% voted to be independent.

If the majority of Scottish residents had voted for independence, the country would have seceded from the UK on March 24, 2016. The referendum was mainly driven by nationalists who tried to win popularity with populist slogans and promises of a prosperous and independent Scotland through oil extraction and by keeping tax revenues within the new country. Now that the supporters of unity have won, the region and London will discuss expanding sovereignty and the redistribution of tax revenue.