Scotland to hold a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom on September 18, 2014

Scotland to hold a referendum on independence from the United Kingdom on September 18, 2014

Xinhua

EDINBURGH — Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond on Thursday announced the independence referendum for Scotland would be held on Sept. 18, 2014 to decide whether Scotland should be an independent country.

In a statement to the Scottish Parliament, Salmond announced the date of the independence referendum for Scotland, and the main Scottish Independence Referendum Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on Thursday, March 21, 2013.

It sets out arrangements for the conduct of the referendum, including the date of the vote and campaign spending limits, said the Scottish government press release.

Voters would be asked the question “Should Scotland be an independent country?”with the choice of answers of “Yes/No”, which was recommended by the Electoral Commission and accepted by the Scottish government, according to Salmond.

According to poll results of Scottish adults on Feb. 3, about 33 percent chose to vote “Yes”, 47 percent for “No”, while another 20 percent said “Don’t know”, said SKY TV News.

The Scottish Parliament has been granted the powers to organize the referendum and both UK and Scottish governments have agreed they will respect the result.

The Scottish Independence Referendum (Franchise) Bill was introduced to the Scottish Parliament on March 11, 2013 and published on the next day, setting out who is able to vote and extending the franchise to 16 and 17 year olds.

British Prime Minister David Cameron and Salmond signed the Edinburgh Agreement in October 2012, allowing Scotland to hold an independence referendum in autumn 2014.
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Video: BBC News- Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond statement on Scottish independence referendum 18th September 2014

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Video: History of the Union Jack- the flag of the United Kingdom

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Video: Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond on Scotland Tonight – Independence Referendum

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Video: Scottish Independence Questions: Answered by Patrick Harvie of the Scottish Greens

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Video: QT- Support for Scottish independence dropping

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