- The leader of the Scottish National Party has made it clear that the mandate responds to the victory of her party.
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| Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon in an interview for the BBC / BBC |
Scotland's Chief Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, has insisted, in a statement in Edinburgh to launch her campaign to call another referendum, that there is an "undisputed mandate" to call a second referendum on Scottish independence, following the first held in 2014.
The leader of the Scottish National Party has made it clear that the mandate responds to the victory that her party won in the regional elections held in May 2021 in Scotland. In the first referendum on 18 September 2014, 55% of voters in Scotland rejected separation compared to 45% who supported independence.
"We intend to honor that," the chief minister said of her electoral promise to call a second plebiscite, possibly at the end of 2023. 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.
"Brexit we didn't vote for"
"Scotland, like other countries in the world, faces important challenges. But we also have enormous advantages and immense potential," added the chief minister, whose objective is that this second consultation is carried out in accordance with current legislation.
Scottish people, she stressed, "are suffering from the impacts of rising costs of living, low growth and rising inequality, constrained public finances and the many implications of a Brexit we didn't vote for. All of these problems have either worsened or, most obviously in the case of Brexit, have been directly caused by the fact that we are not independent," she added.
Sturgeon says that at this juncture, Scotland is faced with a fundamental question, "Are we still locked into a UK economic model that condemns us to economic and social outcomes that are likely to get worse, not better, outside the EU? Or do we lift the view, with hope and optimism, and draw inspiration from comparable countries across Europe?" she asked.
Scotland is European
In the referendum on whether to remain or leave the EU in June 2016, Scotland voted to remain by 62%, but the final result for the entire territory was Brexit.
The first document to be released by Sturgeon on Tuesday compares Scotland to other European countries and explains why the region will benefit from independence.
Later, the pro-independence policy hopes to release documents related to currency, taxes, defense, social security and pensions, participation in the EU, and trade.