Alex Salmond in his moment of victory last night began to talk about how the SNP must begin to win over those who had not supported the party.

He arrived at a reception to tell rapturous supporters: "I heard a rumour . . . I think I won the election."

The faithful loved it, including millionaire backer Tom Farmer, who smiled at the back even when Mr Salmond made a Hearts-Hibs joke.

But there was a recognition the victory was based on the tightest of wins imaginable: the very last declaration of the very last list vote to declare, in the Highlands and Islands.

With the sixth on the list, Labour drew level. With the last, the SNP drew ahead. The comparison with winning a penalty shoot-out was inescapable.

Nor did the SNP have any certainty about the outcome, hence the reason Mr Salmond's helicopter arrival stunt and brief presidential speech on the lawn outside Prestonfield House Hotel in Edinburgh gave little clue about the final stance. The Nationalists still did not know what the final result would be, so Mr Salmond instead concentrated on criticising the debacle of the voting process, pledging an independent judicial inquiry into a farce that had damaged Scotland's good name.

But by the time he arrived at The Hub, the home of Edinburgh International Festival, the full result had become known and it could easily have been open season on smugness.

Instead, Mr Salmond struck out in a different direction: "It is now the people who own Scottish politics and that is why we need to have the opportunity to demonstrate in government what we can do, to show the rest of Scotland.

"We need to approach the rest of the country not as people who have voted for us or did not vote for us, but as fellow Scots who want to be convinced we can build a better country. That has to be our approach."

Hinting about the 16 Liberal-Democrat MSPs and two Greens who would have to come on board if the SNP was to form an administration, he said: "I think there is a progressive coalition available that wants to move Scotland forward."

Mr Salmond added: "Our obligation is to reach out to all parts of Scotland, if we are going to be different. It's not just in terms of our policy on independence and a free Scotland, but about attitude and style. How we get on, not just with the people who agree with us, but with those who are yet to be convinced."

But he added: "People who believe Scotland can be talked down to are living in the past. I don't quite know how we are going to configure this coalition of progressives but we will go forward with an attitude that we can make this happen because we believe there is a thirst for change in Scotland.

"We accept this moment but also the responsibility that goes with that, an obligation and a privilege to serve Scotland."

Mr Salmond said: "Most of us have grasped the fact you need to build a coalition in the Scottish Parliament - and that's going to take some time. It's going to take some effort but let me pledge that my approach to that will be one of goodwill."

Earlier, he also vowed that, if he became the next First Minister, one of his first acts in office would be to order an independent judicial inquiry into the problems with the vote, saying the proposed Electoral Commission investigation did not go far enough.

He said: "The inquiry will have the fullest powers when recovering evidence and the most searching remit. It will be charged with laying bare the outrage of how 100,000 Scots were denied their democratic voice. It will have access to every shred of evidence and technological assistance to understand what caused the events of last night.

"It will inquire into the role of the Secretary of State for Scotland, the Scottish Executive and, indeed, the role of the Electoral Commission itself.

"That inquiry would therefore be charged with no less a task than restoring the confidence of people of Scotland in the democratic process."

12:01am Saturday 5th May 2007

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