Scottish independence referendum: Dispute continues over who presides

THE thorny issue of who should “referee” the referendum has been a key bone of contention.

The Electoral Commission is the nationally recognised body set up to regulate and oversee elections in the UK – including last year’s referendum on more powers for the Welsh Parliament - but the SNP doesn’t want it involved. Nationalists say that the body has no legal authority to preside over a referendum in Scotland and instead want to set up its own commission, under the auspices of Holyrood, to oversee the poll.

Nationalists say that Electoral Commission board members are political appointees - via a panel set up by the Commons Speaker - although these include SNP veteran George Reid, the former Holyrood Presiding Officer.

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Critics say SNP ministers want to keep control of the content of the question and the way the referendum is run.

The SNP’s disenchantment with the Commission may stem from clashes with the body when plans were being drawn up for a referendum in the last Parliament. The problems posed by a multi-option referendum, now favoured by Alex Salmond, were raised at a meeting on 19 December, 2008, a Freedom of Information request revealed.

On 13 March, 2009, Scottish Government civil servants e-mailed the Electoral Commission:: “We are looking at what the question in an independence referendum might be and at some point will need to show we have properly assessed it for intelligibility, neutrality, etc.”

But then at a meeting on 22 September, 2009, the Electoral Commission minute stated: “Scottish Government officials … confirmed that there was currently no provision to consult any organisation as to the intelligibility of the referendum question.”

Electoral Commissioner John McCormick said yesterday: “While it is for others to decide who runs the referendum, we will of course share our experience and expertise when we set out our views to both parliaments. Our priority is to ensure the referendum is well-run, transparent and open to scrutiny.”

Tory leader Ruth Davidson said: “We need the Electoral Commission, as an independent arbiter, to oversee such a historic vote.”