EDINBURGH: Scotland’s First Minister Nicola Sturgeon survived a no-confidence vote in parliament Tuesday and vowed not to give in to “bully” tactics as she readies for a new drive to split the nation from the United Kingdom.

The motion brought by Scotland’s opposition Conservatives was rejected by 65-31 votes with 27 abstentions.

The vote came after a Scottish parliamentary committee investigating an explosive sexual harassment scandal involving Sturgeon’s predecessor, Alex Salmond, found that it had been misled by testimony from the first minister.

But the panel deferred to another probe by a senior independent lawyer who reported Monday that Sturgeon did not breach the ministerial code, effectively clearing the way for her to survive the no-confidence vote and lead her party into elections in May.

The row involving the two biggest names in the independence movement has dominated Scottish politics in recent years, with indications it has undermined popular support for Scotland to go its own way.

But Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party (SNP) is hoping that with the investigations and parliamentary manoeuvres over, a strong showing in May will bolster its case for a second referendum on independence.

“If you think you can bully me out of office, you are mistaken,” she told lawmakers ahead of the vote. “If you want to remove me as first minister, do it in an election.

“It is the confidence of the people of Scotland that matters most, and the confidence of the people is what I will seek to demonstrate and seek to win in the weeks that lie ahead.”

After Sturgeon was cleared in the independent probe on Monday, the SNP submitted legislation seeking to hold a new independence plebiscite by the end of 2023.