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First Minister of Scotland and leader of the SNP Nicola Sturgeon, with party candidates Neil Gray, left, and Anum Qaisar-Javed, right, alongside the party's campaign bus during campaigning for the Scottish Parliamentary election, in Airdrie, Scotland, Tuesday, May 4, 2021. Scotland holds an election Thursday that could hasten the breakup of the United Kingdom. The pro-independence Scottish National Party is leading in the polls and a big victory will give it the the moral right and the political momentum to hold a referendum on whether Scotland should end its three-century union with England. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has downplayed independence in her campaign, stressing her credentials as a safe pair of hands to lead ScotlandâÄ™s recovery from the pandemic. (Jane Barlow/PA via AP)