 The first item of business is the selection of the Parliament's nominee as First Minister. A note explaining the procedures to be followed this afternoon has been placed on each member's desk. Information will also be provided in the chat function for those members who are taking part remotely. I have recieved three valid nominations for selection of the Parliament's nominee as I will now announce the nominations in alphabetical order. The nominations are Willie Rennie, Douglas Ross and Nicola Sturgeon. I will ask each nominee to speak in support of their candidacy for up to five minutes and after the nominees have spoken, members will be asked to cast their vote for their preferred candidate. A separate vote will be called for each candidate and members can only vote once. Once all voting is being completed, any member who has not yet voted will be invited to cast a vote to abstain. There will be a short break of a few minutes while the result is verified and I will then announce the results of voting. A candidate will be elected if an overall majority is obtained. If no majority is obtained, the candidate or candidates with the smallest number of votes will be eliminated. If we have a vote between only two candidates, all that is required is a simple majority for one of the candidates to be elected. Members may wish to record an abstention and no account of those votes will be taken in establishing whether a simple majority has been achieved and we will then proceed to a further round of voting. I call on Willie Rennie. I want Scotland to be a liberal country where everyone can live as they wish, not held back by prejudice or expectations, where every single person can achieve their potential, lifted up by a healthy body and an educated mind. An open, outward looking Scotland, not one that blames its neighbours for our problems. A country that looks to the needs of people next door around the world or in the future, not just our own interests today. With people who come together to overcome the enormous challenges that time throws our way, that would be my driving philosophy. I would start by putting recovery first. The people waiting up to three years for mental health treatment need recovery to come first. The friends and family of the 1,256 people who lost their lives in a single year to drugs deserves our attention. Those who are looking for work cannot wait, or those who are desperate for a hip replacement or cancer treatment cannot wait either, or a good education, or future generations who want a healthy planet. They all deserve our focus because they cannot wait behind another debate on the constitution. That is why I would put recovery first. With no single party as a majority, no one should assume the right to this office. Most people did not vote for the largest party, so it is important that their voices are heard today. I stand for First Minister with great hope but a liberal dose of realism. This country is divided like never before, right down the middle according to the polls and according to the election results. It is worse than that. Hardened supporters on each side cannot understand each other any more. They have stopped listening to each other. The election campaign entrenched those differences. The SNP often featured Boris Johnson more than Nicola Sturgeon in their materials. The Conservatives were more interested in attacking Labour and the Liberal Democrats than in trying to win over SNP supporters. They both stoked up the fear. It resulted in thousands of people voting for one extreme for fear of the other. In that race to the bottom, we lost out, but so did the country as the chasm grew. Ever greater radicalisation of the hardcore support on each side is not sustainable, whether Scotland is part of the UK or not, because we will need the skills and the talents of everyone to overcome the enormous challenges that we face. There is an important lesson for those who want to keep Scotland in the United Kingdom, especially for the Conservative party. There are many people yet to make up their minds about independence. We must reach out to them and to others to listen, to understand and to act. In this campaign, I reached out across the constitutional divide and, as Sarwar reached out to, the Conservatives did not. That might have held it together for the Conservatives this time, but that strategy will not keep Scotland in the United Kingdom. Looking after their Conservative friends with Government contracts, cutting international aid, a cavalier approach to Northern Ireland and picking fights with Europe does not help either. Far from being the defenders of the union, the Conservatives are the biggest threat to the union, but Boris Johnson and the Conservatives are not the United Kingdom. It is bigger and better than that. I refuse to walk away from a partnership of people of the UK because of the Conservatives. I am here to work for a liberal country, an open internationalist, reformed, caring, fair and green country, packed with opportunity for everyone, no matter what their background is. That is the country that I want to live in and that is the country that I will always work for. When I was a child, people used to ask me, what did I want to be when I was older? My answer was always I wanted to be a dairy farmer. When I left school, I went to agricultural college at Ock and Croove in Ayrshire. When I left college, I started working as a cattleman on a dairy farming and mury. If you told me back then that one day I would be standing in our debating chamber appealing for votes to be Parliament's nominee for First Minister, I simply would not have believed you. If I have started my speech with a bit of nostalgia, let me also put in a bit of reality. I know that there is literally more chance of one of my cows fulfilling the nursery rhyme of jumping over the moon than there is on me winning this vote today, but that does not mean that we cannot try. Because, while the ultimate decision may be a foregone conclusion, the route set for our First Minister and our nominee is not currently set in stone. People across Scotland want to see us pulling together, not apart. People across Scotland want a Government who are determined to drive forward a legislative programme, a programme inspired by the values that have underpinned our success as a country and our progress as a society for generations. During the Scottish election campaign, Conservatives made clear a number of bills that we would bring forward in this session of Parliament. Our first would be to introduce a victims law, a detailed blueprint to overhaul our justice system in Scotland to put victims first. Never again should those who suffered at the hands of criminals feel the accused gets more support than they do. We would propose an enterprise bill to stimulate the economic growth that is needed to propel our country out of the Covid crisis to protect and create jobs in every part of the country and engage with businesses and sectors that have felt ignored for far too long. Never again should businesses in Scotland's largest city find out at the back of four on a Friday afternoon just 40 hours before they had planned for significant reopening that they would not be moving out of the current Covid restrictions. Under the SNP, the spirit of enterprise has been stifled. Under a Scottish Conservative Administration it would be fostered and encouraged. We would also introduce a right to rehab and recovery to enshrine in law the right to access residential rehabilitation services. Never again can a Scottish First Minister take their eye off the ball as drug deaths in this country so were. Those are just some of the bills that I would take forward as First Minister, but they are also the bills that we will propose as a strong opposition and a party aspiring to govern our country in the future. Standing for First Minister today is a marker of our ambition not only for our party but for Scotland, because we know that better days lie ahead. Scotland has to move on. This Parliament has to take Scotland forward. It has to be a Parliament that takes on the economic crisis and creates the jobs for the future, that tackles the climate emergency, that backs our NHS with the best funding deal since devolution. It has to be the Parliament that rises to the biggest challenges that we face in the weeks and the months and the years ahead. Members will know that I am passionate about where I come from and I am proud of my family. At just over two years old, I think that my wee boy Alasdair will be pretty oblivious to the fact that his dad is today seeking to become First Minister of Scotland. When he is old enough, along with his wee brother or sister, that is due in just five weeks' time, I hope that they look back on our proceedings with pride, not because of what their dad was trying to do today but what we can all do over the next five years. The 129 of us, who are honoured to be in such a privileged position, we have an opportunity to improve the lives of people that we represent. So while I am pretty sure that I will not be Parliament's nominee for First Minister at the end of today's business, I hope that by the end of this session, the session of Parliament in 2026, we can all look back on our time in office with pride, that we met the challenges that faced us and delivered for Scotland and for future generations. Officer, can I genuinely thank the other two candidates in this election? Given that Douglas Ross did not express an intention to be First Minister in the election campaign, I guess that this could be seen as a heroic, if slightly belated, change of heart. Presiding Officer, I say this almost with a sneaky admiration. Most women, even those of us such as me, who have been in politics for a long time, would literally give our eye teeth for just a shred of the—how can I put this diplomatically— self-confidence of the man who can take his party from five MSPs to just four and yet still throw his hat into the ring to be First Minister. Fair play for that self-confidence, if for nothing else, Presiding Officer. To be serious, though, and this is a serious occasion, I am asking MSPs today to support my nomination as First Minister and I bring with me a mandate from the voters in the election. This past year has been the most challenging that we have ever experienced. During the election campaign, I said that my overriding duty was to do everything possible to keep our country safe. If nominated today, that will indeed be my first and my driving priority to lead us through this pandemic and to lead us into recovery, recovery of our economy, our national health service and of our society. Some Covid restrictions, of course, have eased now because of the incredible sacrifices of people across our country and the magnificent success of the vaccination programme. However, we know that this crisis is not over, as the current situation in Murray and in Glasgow reminds us very starkly. As we look around the world, we also can see more clearly than ever before that none of us will be entirely safe until everyone across our planet is safe. This past year has demonstrated as never before our common humanity and that all of our faiths are intertwined. Of course, we see that in the climate emergency too. That is why COP26 in Glasgow later this year will be such a crucial event for our country and indeed for the world. Countries across the globe will be rethinking and reimagining the kinds of societies that they want to be as they emerge from crisis. Here in Scotland, we must do so too. This is a time to think big. It is a time to be pioneers. Just as in many other northern European countries, I believe that there is broad agreement in Scotland about the kind of country that we want to be—a more equal society with much greater economic security, a country that is committed to building a sustainable future for the generations to come, a Scotland that is an equal partner with our friends in the rest of the UK and across Europe, a welcoming country, not one that conducts dawn raids in multicultural communities. In government, I have sought over this past year to work across the chamber throughout the Covid crisis. If we are nominated today, I will continue to do so, as we implement a programme to kickstart recovery. That will be a programme with the NHS, the economy and jobs at its heart. We will take an inclusive approach to the debate that all countries must have about how we can build the best possible post-pandemic future. In that endeavour, everyone in Scotland deserves to have an equal say. Scotland's future must be Scotland's choice. It is in that spirit of inclusiveness and with a determination to work for all of Scotland each and every single day that I am seeking the nomination of this Parliament as Scotland's First Minister. Serving as our country's First Minister is an immense privilege, but it is also an enormous responsibility and an enormous duty. I am ready with the confidence of Parliament, I hope, to get on with the job of leading this country to brighter and to better times. Before we move on to the vote, there will be a short suspension to allow members to access the digital voting system. I am suspending again. We now move to voting. I remind members that they must vote once only and must only use their yes button in the voting app when voting. If any member casts a vote more than once or records a vote other than a yes vote, their vote will be treated as spoiled. Once the voting for candidates is completed, members who have not voted for a candidate will then be given the opportunity to vote to abstain by pressing their yes button. I will announce the result once all votes have been cast and verified. The first vote is for Willie Rennie. Only members who wish to vote for Willie Rennie should take part in this vote by voting yes. No other members should vote. Members who wish to vote for Willie Rennie should vote yes now. Please vote now. There will be a two-minute division. Thank you. The voting time has ended. Could any member who believes they have been unable to cast their vote please advise that they would like to make a point of order? Thank you, colleagues. The second vote is for Douglas Ross. Only members who wish to vote for Douglas Ross should take part in this vote by voting yes. No other members should vote and members who wish to vote for Douglas Ross should vote yes now. Two minutes to vote. Thank you. The voting time has ended and could any member who believes they were unable to cast their vote please advise that they wish to make a point of order? Thank you. The third vote is for Nicola Sturgeon. Only members who wish to vote for Nicola Sturgeon should take part in this vote by voting yes. No other members should vote. Members who wish to vote for Nicola Sturgeon should vote yes now. We'll have a two-minute vote. Thank you. The voting time has ended. Again, could any member who believes they were unable to cast their vote please advise that they wish to make a point of order? That concludes the votes for all candidates. The next vote is only for members who have not yet voted and who wish to record an abstention. Members wishing to abstain should press their yes button now. This will be a two-minute vote. The voting time has ended. Could any member who believes they were unable to cast their vote please advise that they wish to make a point of order? Thank you. That concludes this round of voting and there will now be a short break while the votes are verified and I suspend the meeting. In this round of voting, in the selection of the Parliament's nominee as First Minister, the number of votes cast for each candidate is as follows. Willie Rennie, four, Douglas Ross, 31, Nicola Sturgeon, 64. There were 28 abstentions. The candidate selected, therefore, is Nicola Sturgeon and I would like to congratulate the First Minister on her selection. I will now call on each of the party leaders to respond and I call Douglas Ross. Thank you very much, Presiding Officer. I began to wonder as the verification took so long if the Liberal Democrats were maybe calling for a recount to save their deposit. However, while the process took a bit longer than some of us expected, the result is clear. Despite our fundamental differences on many issues, I congratulate the First Minister on her re-election. There are fewer greater honours than serving the public in her position and I know that she takes that role seriously. While my party will challenge her actions as First Minister and those of her Government, I will not question that she is sincerely committed to the job that she has done over the past seven years and she is now committed to over the next five. For those previous seven years, she has led a Government that has now been in office for a total of 14 years, and she has been given an opportunity to serve for a further five. Regardless of party political affiliation, that is a significant achievement. However, while the length of her party's period in office is in itself an achievement, the record—I believe that Nicola Sturgeon would agree—must also be held to account. We cannot ignore what has happened over the past 14 years of the SNP Government in Scotland. Our education system is falling down international league tables. Drug deaths have more than doubled since 2014 to record highs. Our economy has stagnated before the rest of the UK for a decade. Ferries are delayed or over-budget. Violent crime is rising. Teacher numbers have slashed. The patient treatment time guarantee has broken 330,000 times. The list could go on, but we have to take Scotland forward. We cannot spend the next five years mired in the same stale debates and disagreements that are consumed and held back the last Parliament. This time, we need a Parliament of action, a Parliament of delivery, a Parliament of purpose, a Parliament that unites this country and leads it in a national mission to get us all through this. If that is the task that the SNP Government applies itself to 100%, then it will find support from those benches. However, if it deviates from that task, if it puts political priorities ahead of Scotland's interests, if it wastes time in the chamber on old arguments instead of constructive delivery, then we will fight them every step of the way. The Scottish people have elected this Scottish Parliament, every single member, on a promise of delivering Scotland's recovery. The task of steering our country through the rest of the coronavirus pandemic is supporting individuals, families and communities the length and breadth of Scotland and on rebuilding our country so that Scotland's economy is stronger and that its public service is better than ever before. That was the promise that we all made to the people of Scotland in the election and the task that we now face. I extend my congratulations to the First Minister on her re-election, and I'm sorry that I can't be with you all today in person in the chamber to mark this occasion. I and the whole of my party wish the First Minister well in the months and years ahead. My commiserations to Willie Rennie and Douglas Ross, I've been honest since being elected leader 11 weeks ago about my ambition for my party and my ambition for Scotland. I'm not interested in simply opposing. I want to build a credible alternative. That is a journey, and I appeal directly to those who are watching. If you want to be part of it, then join us. In this parliamentary term, the sixth since Donald Dure was elected as our first First Minister will be the most defining period for our nation since devolution. We meet while we are still on the grip of a public health emergency. Covid continues to spread through our communities and the danger has not passed. With the pandemic causing illness in my own home right now, I know that all too well. Even if, as we all hope, the immediate risk to lives has passed in the coming months, we faced a huge task of Scotland's national recovery. It is a challenge that will take many years, and it was that challenge that was a rare note of unity in the recent election campaign. The message that we have been sent by the people of Scotland could not have been clearer. We all pledged to be focused on recovery, and we must all honour that. That is the mandate that we have collectively been given to come through this most difficult year and build a better, stronger, greener and fairer nation. None of us should underestimate the scale of ambition that will require. We have a balanced Parliament with no majority for one single party, which means that parties must work together, because lives and livelihoods remain at risk. There are more than 300,000 Scots who do not know if they have a job to go back to. We have suffered an economic crash harder and deeper than the banking crisis. People have missed out on almost a year of school. Our NHS and social care systems, battered but not broken, need support, reform and investment. In just months, the eyes of the world will be on Glasgow as we host COP26. To meet those challenges and many more, the First Minister must be bold. There will be issues that the First Minister and I will undoubtedly disagree on, the constitution being one. However, there will also be areas that we believe the First Minister has failed and we will not be afraid to say so. However, there will also be areas where the First Minister and I agree, and I want to allow our disagreements to stand in the way of that. There will also be areas where we believe that the First Minister should be doing better and going even further, and we will be appreciating her and her Government to be bolder in the coming weeks, months and years. Some examples of that. The Government must go further and be bolder on a jobs plan, on economic support for businesses, on mental health support and catch up on cancer services and on child poverty. We should be doubling the Scottish child payment immediately, not over the course of this Parliament. Right now, we need a First Minister for everyone in Scotland, not a campaigner leading a movement for half the country, but a First Minister who will lead a national recovery for everyone. In the final TV debate, the First Minister made that promise. We will hold her to that promise. The national recovery cannot just be a slogan, but it must be our Parliament's collective national mission on behalf of the people that we are all elected to represent. Over the coming years, let's be inspired by the future that we can build, not the arguments of the past. Let's demonstrate the best of Scotland, and let's focus on what unites us, not what divides us. I offer my congratulations and those of the Scottish Green Party to Nicola Sturgeon on her re-election as First Minister. It is a remarkable achievement to be returned for a fourth term 14 years after the Scottish National Party entered government, and more than six years after Nicola Sturgeon herself first became First Minister. To be returned with the second highest tally of seats at any election since devolution demonstrates that whatever differences we have, the First Minister personally retains the confidence of the bulk of the country. I look across this debating chamber, Presiding Officer, and what I see is hope. I see Scotland's most diverse Parliament coming together in this room at this most critical of times. I see more young people, more women, more disabled people, more people with diverse backgrounds and experiences. I am particularly moved that in this term of Parliament we have crossed what I consider to be a key threshold for culture change within an institution, in that more than 40 per cent of our MSPs are now women—45 per cent, actually. I congratulate all those parties who have worked hard to improve their gender balance in order to bring in this fresh talent and these new perspectives. This is important because when we change who is making decisions, we change outcomes. Will we, as a more diverse group, have a more positive working culture? Will there be more cross-party working on matters such as a national care service, housing, education and tackling the climate and nature emergencies? Will we be able to think long term, to think about the wellbeing of our people and stewardship of our land and resources rather than allowing exploitation and extraction? I have hope, Presiding Officer, because these are challenging times. The climate emergency requires this Government and this Parliament to take bold, transformative action. The pandemic requires a commitment to investment and rebuilding. The majority of pro-independence MSPs returned to this Parliament means that we need to have a national conversation about the constitution and what kind of country we want to be. Do we want to be welcoming to refugees? Do we want to be a world leader in renewable energy and have town and city centres that are designed for people rather than cars? Do we want blood sports on our hills or sustainable agriculture and forestry? I have hope, Presiding Officer, because the people of Scotland did vote like their future depended on it in this election, voting in record numbers for the Scottish Greens and returning the largest-ever number of green MSPs. The people have asked for practical, life-changing policies, new jobs in renewable energy, warm homes, upgraded railways and stronger links to Europe. We can take many of these steps now without waiting for independence, but completing the necessary transformation must also involve asking the people of Scotland to choose their own future and building the case for independence, which is based on transformation, on building the Scotland that we want to see, a fair and green Scotland that is in charge of its own destiny. We can invest in jobs and the economic recovery, reduction of carbon emissions and improve the quality of life for everyone in Scotland. We just have to choose to do so. We, us, the people in this room. Presiding Officer, I am hoping that the First Minister and everyone in this room will consider the nature of the multiple crises that we face and will commit to working in the spirit of co-operation and constructively across party lines to make the kind of transformative changes that are needed to protect our environment and ensure an economy that works for everyone. I want to congratulate Nicola Sturgeon on her success today. I am sure that there will be many sharp exchanges in this chamber over the next five years, but let me offer a few words of respect. It has been an extraordinary time with extraordinary pressures, both Covid and political. I have admired Nicola Sturgeon's personal leadership through the pandemic, making life and death decisions every single day. I was impressed by the clarity of the communications and I agreed with the caution, too. Just because we have political differences in this chamber should not prevent us all from respecting each other. We should appreciate the personal sacrifice that comes with public service and public office. Of course, that personal sacrifice pales in comparison with the many struggles that our constituents face every day, but it is sacrifice nonetheless. I want to thank Nicola Sturgeon for that service and offer my support as well. We work together through the pandemic to get through this deadly challenge. The Parliament needs more of that focus and partnership for the next five years. I appeal to the First Minister as she starts to shape the nominations for her cabinet, not to appoint a minister for the constitution. I want her to reflect that the election was about putting recovery first. There should be no place in the new Government for a minister for the referendum. We cannot afford for talented civil servants to be focused on a new independence white paper when we need the best to be focused on the recovery. Instead, I hope that the First Minister appoints a minister for recovery. It would be a senior appointment to focus the Government's energy. The recovery first secretary would use the civil service expertise to plan a recovery that balances the needs of the health service, education, business and many other areas of our life. That appointment would be a powerful signal of the priority for this Parliament. I hope that the First Minister will take on that point. In conclusion, I wish the First Minister well in her term of office and commit to working together to improve the lives of the people that we all represent. I now call on Nicola Sturgeon. Let me thank you and other party leaders for your kind words today. Let me also say that all the words of advice are genuinely received in a spirit of good faith. Most of all, I thank my fellow MSPs for selecting me as Parliament's nominee to be First Minister of Scotland. There is simply no greater privilege than to be elected as the First Minister of our country. I pledge that I will fulfil the duties placed on me to the very best of my ability. I will do all that I can with all the powers vested in the office of First Minister to make our country the best possible place to live, work and grow up in. Today is the third occasion on which I have been nominated by this Parliament to be First Minister. On the previous two, my family have been present in the public gallery. Circumstances mean that that is not possible today, though even if it had been, the loss of my father-in-law 18 months ago would have made it feel very different. I miss my family today, a feeling that so many of us have had to bear over this past painful year. I know that they are watching, so I hope that I can be indulged for just a moment as I speak to them. Being a close family member of the First Minister, a role that, unlike me, you do not get any choice over, is not always easy, and that is probably an understatement. However, your love and support sustains me and never more so than through the various stresses and strains of the past year. I cannot ever thank you enough, though I could probably try harder and more often, but please know how much I do love all of you. Presiding Officer, I spoke earlier about the privilege of being First Minister, and it is indeed a privilege. However, in truth, it is the heavy sense of responsibility and duty, much more than the privilege that any incumbent of this office will feel most acutely every single day. For me, First Minister, for more than six years, that has never been more true than it has been over the past 14 months or so. Our country is living through the most challenging and traumatic period that most of us have ever known. Lives have been lost, families have been bereaved and separated, businesses and jobs have been lost—many who have had Covid are still suffering long-term health problems. I have done my best to steer us through, and I have learned the hard way that, in a situation like this, there are very few good outcomes—just more or less harmful ones. Decisions necessary to save lives and protect health, our most important duty, will cost jobs and businesses and affect our wellbeing in so many other ways, and vice versa. I will continue to work every single day to make the best decisions possible, and I resolve never to shy away from the tough calls. As a result of our collective sacrifice and the power of vaccination, we have made progress, but in the past few days we have also been reminded that Covid is not done with us yet. The virus still poses real dangers that we must take seriously. Tough decisions still lie ahead. I want to reiterate today the pledge that I made during the election campaign. For as long as is necessary, every ounce of my energy and focus will be on navigating us through this pandemic and keeping our country as safe as possible. Of course, part of that responsibility involves laying the foundations now for the recovery that we all want to build. During the campaign, the SNP published a plan for the first 100 days of a new Government. That plan is now Scottish Government policy, and the Cabinet Secretary and Ministers appointed over the next couple of days will be charged with delivering it at pace. Amongst many other initiatives, it will prioritise completing the vaccination programme as quickly as possible, implementing a pay rise for NHS workers and publishing an NHS recovery plan, opening the first three fast-track cancer diagnostic centres, removing dental charges for care leavers as the first step towards ending all dental charges. Consulting on legislation to establish a new national care service, establishing a new council for economic transformation, funding colleges to deliver 5,000 more industry-focused courses, funding 1,000 extra teachers as the first phase of additional recruitment, abolishing fees for music and arts education, starting the roll-out of laptops and tablets for every school pupil, making payments to low-income families as we prepare for the doubling of the Scottish child payment, starting work on a minimum income guarantee and taking the next steps on our journey to net zero as we, of course, prepare to welcome the world to COP26 later this year. There is much to be getting on with, and this will be a Government of action. Many of the policy initiatives that I have mentioned will, I hope, attract cross-party agreement, a point that I will return to shortly. However, let me address briefly the issue of an independent referendum, which I know we do not all agree on. By any measure of parliamentary democracy, there is a clear mandate for a referendum within this term of Parliament. It is important in the interests of democracy for that to be acknowledged and respected. However, it is also important that I exercise that mandate with responsibility, humility and only when the crisis of Covid has passed. I give that commitment today. I believe that being independent will give Scotland now and in the future the best chance of making the most of our vast talents and resources. There are so many ways in which that matters. We were reminded of just one of them last week. Our economic prospects depend on us attracting more people to live and work here in Scotland, and yet on Thursday, in Kenya Street in my constituency, immigration officials tried to forcibly remove two individuals against the wishes of their community. With independence, the decisions that shape our future will lie with us. However, I have always believed that how we achieve independence is as important as the outcome itself. It will determine the strength of the foundation on which we build. I am acutely aware that opinion on whether or not Scotland should be independent is evenly balanced. My decisions as a First Minister for all of Scotland will always be mindful of that, but that should apply to all of us. The views of those who do not support independence must not be ignored. You must not feel as if you are being bludgeoned towards an outcome that you have not been persuaded of. However, by the same token, the views of those who do support independence cannot be ignored either. We cannot simply be told that there is no democratic route to seeking the future that we want for our country. That takes us to a fundamental point. Unity of purpose for any country is an important condition of success, but unity is not achieved by pretending that genuine differences of opinion do not exist or that one side of a debate has no right to be heard. Unity is best achieved through open, informed and respectful discussion and, crucially, by agreeing that the only legitimate way ultimately to resolve difference is through democratic means. Passions will always run high on the issue of independence and for good reason, but if on both sides of this great national debate we can strive for mutual understanding, empathy and, if we show a willingness sometimes to listen more than to talk and respect the power of democracy, I believe that we can and will find the right path and we will do so together and act at the right time. I know that I will not always succeed, but I promise that I will do my best to lead in that spirit. Building unity is partly about how we resolve issues of difference, but it is also about reaching beyond difference. There is so much that this Parliament can and should work together on. I was struck during the campaign by the extent of common ground between our different manifestos. Even the Institute for Fiscal Studies struggled to distinguish between us in its scepticism about the financing of it all, so we should work together now perhaps to prove them wrong. Seriously, though, I have been heartened by my discussions across party lines since the election and I hope that they will develop positively. Whatever else happens over the next five years, let us come together to build a legacy out of this pandemic for the generations that come after us, opportunities for every young person, a national care service to match the vision and ambition of our national health service, policies that will lift children and families out of poverty and give everyone the basic security that they need to fulfil their potential, an action that will not just end our contribution to climate change but harness the massive economic opportunities of doing so and give us the moral authority to exhort the rest of the world to do likewise. The succession of our Parliament is convening in the toughest of times, but we have reasons to be optimistic. We have been elected on a bigger voter turnout and by a wider franchise than ever before. We look more like the Scotland we represent than our predecessors did. Younger, or maybe not all of us, and more diverse, more women, more members of minority ethnic communities, the first women of colour, the first permanent wheelchair user, let us take heart from all of that and resolve not just individually but also collectively to live up to the expectations that Scotland has vested in us. Out of these tough times, there is a duty to be bold and fearless. When I accepted Parliament's nomination as First Minister in 2016, I quoted our first macker, Edwin Morgan, whose words remind us of our mandate to be bold. Today I will end with the words of someone else from whom I take inspiration, the late Eleanor Roosevelt. You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the things you think you cannot do. I hope that advice will guide this Parliament. It is certainly how I will seek to govern. I thank Parliament again for its confidence and I pledge to serve all of Scotland with boldness, energy and dedication and to do so in a spirit of integrity, friendship and common purpose. That concludes the selection of the First Minister and it is now time to move on to the next item of business.