THE First Minister has said the next hours and days will be “crucial” for the “integrity of US democracy” after Donald Trump falsely declared victory in the presidential election.

With electoral college votes still neck-and-neck and no clear winner in sight, and millions of ballots still to be counted, Trump claimed he had won the vote.

He alleged, without evidence, that there has been “massive fraud” in the vote counting and pledged to fight the results in the Supreme Court.

READ MORE: Donald Trump falsely declares victory claiming there was 'massive' election fraud

Speaking on Twitter this morning Nicola Sturgeon commented: “Crucial hours and days ahead for the integrity of US democracy. Let’s hope we start to hear the voices of Republicans who understand the importance of that.”

Her comments came after Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab appeared on Sky News and failed to condemn Trump for falsely claiming victory.

The Cabinet member said he was confident in the “checks and balances” in the US system, adding: “We’ll see how this plays out, I think it could be a very close race.

“We may not get a definitive result for hours, if not days.”

READ MORE: David Pratt: The US election is down to the wire in a nail-biter of a contest

Earlier this morning Democratic challenger Joe Biden told supporters he believes he is “on track” for victory – but with Trump holding states like Florida and Ohio, the path to 270 electoral college votes is down to the wire.

With 40 out of 50 states declared and Biden slightly leading, results were showing a tight race in the remaining key battlegrounds of Pennsylvania, Michigan, Iowa and Wisconsin.