Salmond scrapes to victory as Scotland's First Minister

Alex Salmond made history yesterday when he was formally elected Scotland's First Minister - at the head of the first nationalist government north of the border.

The Scottish National Party leader will now form a minority SNP administration at Holyrood after beating the Labour leader, Jack McConnell, in a formal vote in the Scottish Parliament.

The Queen signed the warrant, appointing Mr Salmond First Minister of the devolved government, and will receive him at an audience next week.

MSPs voted by 49 voted to 46 to install Mr Salmond, with the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats abstaining from the vote.

Although Mr Salmond's party is committed to a referendum on Scottish independence, the weight of pro-union votes makes it inconceivable he will be able to push through the policy.

Instead, his minority administration will have to fight for every policy in the Scottish Parliament.

Mr Salmond named five "cabinet secretaries" to lead his administration, including the SNP deputy leader, Nicola Sturgeon, who becomes Deputy First Minister and Health Secretary, and John Swinney, the former SNP leader who was appointed Secretary for Finance.

Fiona Hyslop was given the education and lifelong-learning portfolio. Kenny MacAskill will take the justice brief and Richard Lochhead was given rural affairs and the environment. Ten junior ministers were also named.

After his victory, Mr Salmond told MSPs he wanted "a new and fundamentally more reflective" democracy. He said: "The nature and composition of this third Scottish Parliament makes it imperative this government will rely on the strength of its argument in parliament and not the argument of parliamentary strength. Despite all the challenges we will face together, I welcome that as a chance to develop a new and fundamentally more reflective model of democracy."

He added: "Scotland is ready for change, ready for reform. We are a small nation but we have a big future. We also have some big challenges.

"Any Scottish government led by me will respect and include this parliament in the governance of Scotland over the next four years.

"In this century, there are limits to what governments can achieve. But one thing any government I lead will never lack is ambition for Scotland.

"Today, I commit myself to leadership wholly and exclusively in the Scottish national interest. We will appeal for support, policy by policy, across this chamber. That is the parliament the people of Scotland have elected - and that is the government that I will be proud to lead."

Mr McConnell congratulated Mr Salmond on his election. He said: "He will have our support when his decisions are right. We will, of course, not oppose for its own sake. But we will bring forward to the chamber, for robust debate, the policies in which we believe too."