THE upcoming General Election is the most important election for decades and will determine the country's future "for a long time to come", Nicola Sturgeon has said.
The First Minister declared a vote for the SNP on December 12 would be a "demand" for the "right to choose our own future", as well as a vote to "boot out Boris Johnson".
The day after MPs voted in favour of the first December poll for almost a century, the SNP leader hit the campaign trail in Stirling.
The seat is being targeted by the SNP, with MEP Alyn Smith hoping to win it back for the party from the Scottish Conservatives.
READ MORE: FM to go ahead with indyref2 plans despite General Election
Sturgeon: "It's the most important election Scotland has had for decades, it will determine the future direction of our country for a long time to come.
"A vote for the SNP is a vote to stop Brexit.
"No matter how you voted on Brexit, it's a mess and the only way to end the mess is to stop Brexit.
"Secondly, a vote for the SNP is a vote to put Scotland's future into Scotland's hands and demand the right to choose our own future, not have that determined for us by the likes of Boris Johnson.
"If we want to build a better, brighter future for Scotland in place of the broken Westminster system, then voting SNP is the way to achieve that."
While opposition parties are likely to use the election campaign to attack the SNP's record in Government in Scotland, Sturgeon argued the poll is "about the direction we want our country to take and, fundamentally, who decides the direction Scotland takes".
She said: "I want to stop Brexit, it's a mess and it will damage the country for many generations to come.
"But we need to make sure in Scotland that we never again find ourselves in the position of having the future of our country determined by a broken Westminster system and by right-wing Tory politicians like Boris Johnson.
"The only way to do that is to have the ability to choose our own future and to choose independence."
If the ballot results in another hung parliament, Sturgeon said there would be "no formal coalitions" in which the SNP would prop-up a minority administration.
READ MORE: Herald poll suggests support for SNP and independence
But she made clear her party would seek to be "part of a progressive alternative to the Tories".
Sturgeon added: "Scotland is pivotal in this election, we can deprive Boris Johnson of a majority and in every single Tory-held seat in Scotland it is the SNP that's the challenger.
"So if you want to make sure you can stop Brexit and boot out Boris Johnson, voting SNP is the way to do that.
"The SNP will always try to work as part of a progressive alternative to the Tories, but the key thing is that the last few years have told us is that it's the Westminster system that's broken.
"Whoever is in Downing Street, Scotland's interests are ignored and we need to be in charge of our own future to make sure that doesn't happen."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel