The Electoral Commission will be given the role of testing the wording of the proposed question for the referendum on independence, the Scottish Government has said. The commitment was made in a letter from First Minister Alex Salmond to opposition party leaders. Mr Salmond said: “It follows a process which is identical to that in current Westminster legislation and confirms that Scotland’s referendum will meet the highest international standards. “By accepting the central role of the Electoral Commission, we have accepted the requests previously put forward by the opposition parties.
“However, the referendum will still meet the requirement of being made in Scotland with the Government responding to the Scottish consultation, the Electoral Commission advising and recommending potential changes and parliament deciding as part of the legislative process.” The arrangements will be identical to those for other referendums in the UK under the Westminster Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000, the Scottish Government said.
Full Article: Electoral Commission to test wording for proposed referendum question | Politics | News | STV.