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Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has launched a campaign that puts the discussion of Scottish independence back on the table. Sturgeon has pointed out that her voters have given her a clear mandate by voting for her Scottish National Party.
Scotland’s chief minister, Nicola Sturgeon, insisted on Tuesday that there is an “undisputed mandate” to call a second referendum on Scottish independence, following the first held in 2014.
In a statement in Edinburgh to launch her campaign to call another referendum, the leader of the Scottish National Party (SNP) said that the mandate responds to the victory that her party won in the regional elections held in May 2021 in Scotland.
Sturgeon, who released the first of several documents to justify this second referendum, launched this official campaign accompanied by the co-leader of the Scottish Greens, Patrick Harvie. The chief minister holds the majority of votes within the Scottish Parliament, aided by Green votes.
“The Scottish Parliament has an undisputed democratic mandate and we intend to honor that referendum,” he said.
The 72-page document compares the situation of Scotland, united to the British territory since 1707, with ten countries of the same size or smaller, such as Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Iceland, Ireland, Switzerland, Austria, Belgium and the Netherlands. .
“Brexit has taken us out of the EU and the single market against our will, with enormous damage to trade, living conditions and public services,” added the Scottish minister.
He also insisted that “after everything that has happened: Brexit, Covid, Boris Johnson, it is time to establish a different and better vision. It is time to talk about making Scotland richer and fairer. It is time to talk about independence. and then make the decision.
Therefore, the Scottish Government has already begun to analyze the designation of a budget of 20 million pounds (23 million euros) for holding the plebiscite.
Previous referendums on the independence consultation
Nicola Sturgeon, seeks this new self-determination referendum in Scotland for 2023, despite a first consultation where more than half of the voters rejected independence in 2014 and despite the refusal of the Government of London.
In the first consultation, which took place on September 18, 2014, 55% of voters in Scotland rejected separation compared to 45% who supported independence.
Likewise, in the referendum on whether to remain or leave the EU held in June 2016, Scotland voted to remain by 62%.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who has the last word on whether or not to authorize this self-determination consultation, has expressed his resounding rejection, considering that such an extreme can only occur “once in a generation”.
With EFE and Reuters
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