This is the last article you can read this month
You can read more article this month
You can read more articles this month
Sorry your limit is up for this month
Reset on:
Please help support the Morning Star by subscribing here
A BID to grant asylum-seekers in Scotland the right to vote was blocked by the SNP and Conservatives in Holyrood today.
The proposal, put forward by Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell, was debated in the Scottish Parliament, with Scottish Labour and the Liberal Democrats supporting the move.
The Scottish Elections (Franchise and Representation) Bill, which gives refugees and foreign nationals the vote at Scottish parliamentary and local elections for the first time, passed in the chamber.
But Mid Scotland and Fife MSP Mr Ruskell welcomed the inclusion of voting rights for refugees but called for the legislation “to go one step further” and include asylum-seekers too.
But the SNP government outlined its opposition to the measures, with Argyll and Bute SNP MSP Mike Russell claiming that there were practical issues blocking his party’s support.
Mr Ruskell responded by explaining that his party viewed voting as a “fundamental human right,” but this was not enough to garner support from the SNP or Tories.
