With the dust now settled on the election result, I’ve had a chance to assess what it means for Scotland - reflecting on the last few years but mainly looking forward to the years ahead.

One thing that is beyond any doubt is that in the early hours of 6 May, the SNP made history.

We won a third successive Scottish Parliament election - the first time that any party has done that in the history of devolution.

We secured more than one million constituency votes and won a record 59 constituency seats - again, the first time any party has achieved a result on that scale since the Scottish Parliament was established.

And our share of the constituency vote actually increased on our 2011 landslide - a tremendous achievement for any party, but especially for a party that has been in government for the past nine years.

I’m particularly proud that here in my home city of Glasgow, support for the SNP was overwhelming. People across the city turned out to back the SNP, ensuring that we won every single constituency seat - something that, just a few years ago, I wouldn't have imagined possible.

So, while we fell just short of winning an overall majority - in a system actually designed to stop any party winning a majority - the scale of our election victory means we now have a clear and convincing mandate to implement our manifesto.

Meanwhile, Labour paid a heavy price for their alliance in the referendum campaign with the Tory Party, and for years of complacency and arrogance in Scotland.

Indeed, Labour’s demise is a lesson to those of us in the SNP never to take the support of our constituents or the country for granted.

As for the Tories, they certainly made gains in this election, but it's still important to put their result into context - the Tory vote share in this election was actually lower than it was in 1987, when they were considered to have had a very bad night indeed.

So I think those who claim that there has been a major Tory revival in Scotland might just be getting a bit ahead of themselves.

Looking ahead to the new parliament, I am keen to work with the other parties - not because I need to, but because I want to.

I will lead a government which will seek common ground and be open to listening to, and learning from, others. I have never pretended that we in the SNP have a monopoly on good ideas - and where we receive positive, constructive suggestions, we will be very happy to consider them.

I made clear during the election campaign that my defining priority for this term in parliament is to improve education and close the attainment gap - indeed I said I expect to be judged on that commitment. I was therefore glad to see a cross-party consensus develop on this issue, and I’ll be keen to work with other parties to ensure there is a collaborative approach.

And it’s just as important that we all do everything we can to improve our health service, create well paid jobs, decentralise power and responsibility to our communities, and stand up for the most vulnerable people in our society.

I’ve also said that I’m more than happy to subject myself and the SNP Government to more scrutiny, for instance by extending the time allotted to First Minister’s Questions to ensure that as many members as possible can raise issues on behalf of their constituents.

There has been a real buzz about Parliament over the last few days. There always is at the start of a new parliamentary term, as the new group of MSPs are keen to make their mark early on.

We have all been given the highest privilege imaginable - to represent our constituents, serve our country and work to make life better for all the people of Scotland.

In return for that privilege, we must all now rise to the challenge of working together constructively to harness this energy and get the new parliament off on a strong and positive footing.

And the challenge for me - if I am elected as the Parliament’s choice for First Minister today - is to lead a government for all of Scotland, and work every single day to repay the trust that people have placed in me.

In accepting the challenge, responsibility and honour of being the First Minister of our country, I pledge that I will do that to the very best of my ability.