Salmond likely to say 'yes' to AV system

Published on Saturday 19 February 2011 11:57

FIRST Minister Alex Salmond is expected to support the "yes" campaign for May's referendum on the Alterative Vote, but does not believe the plan goes far enough towards a proportional system.

It is understood Salmond will offer token support for the referendum, which will take place on the same day as the Holyrood election.

It is likely he will team up with Scottish Labour leader Iain Gray on the AV issue, despite the two being rivals to head the next Scottish government. However, the two will probably not spend much time on the campaign in favour of AV, focusing instead on the Holyrood election.

Both Labour and the SNP were critical of the decision to hold the referendum on the same day as the Scottish Parliament elections

The First Minister's support for a move away from first-past-the-post is said to be strong, but it is understood he believes the system to be proposed in May is just a small step towards proportional representation.

The SNP is in favour of the single transferable vote, although members will be free to make up their own minds on whether to support AV in May's referendum.

The Scottish Labour party is also unlikely to have its own policy on the referendum.

The Scottish Government is set to be offered five-year terms from 2011 in order to avoid future clashes with Westminster elections. The introduction of fixed terms under the coalition agreement meant the two were scheduled to clash in 2015.