A legal expert deems plans for next year’s Scottish independence referendum unrealistic. » A lot is unexpected. It’s not a smooth process,” said lawyer Nick McCarrell of Glasgow Caledonian University of the German Press Agency.
Scottish Prime Minister Nicola Sturgeon wants her compatriots to vote in the autumn of 2023 on whether Scotland should leave the United Kingdom. The head of the Scottish National Party (SNP) wants its part of the country to return to the European Union as an independent country with around 5.5 million residents after Brexit. On Tuesday she wants to present her timetable for the new referendum in Parliament in Edinburgh.
In the 2014 referendum, a majority of Scots (55 per cent) voted to remain in the UK. However, this was before Brexit, which was rejected by the northernmost part of Britain with a clear majority (62 per cent). So supporters of independence hope that the situation will change if there is another vote.
However, there are obstacles to another referendum, as the British government in London is actually required to give its approval – which the British government refuses. Sturgeon recently announced that he would also like to vote alone if necessary.
“It’s definitely different,” said expert McCrell. It is conceivable that the Scottish government would support negotiations on the independent status of Scotland rather than asking explicit questions for or against independence.
In any case, complaints from opponents should be expected, which will delay the process. McCarrell said a related law would first have to be introduced in the Scottish Parliament. The resulting legal dispute could drag on for months. “I don’t think timing is realistic.”
© dpa-infocom, dpa:220628-99-826204/2
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