London, May 6, (dpa/GNA) – Voters in Scotland and Wales are heading to the polls on Thursday in highly-anticipated parliamentary elections which could determine the future of Britain’s union.
Citizens in Scotland and Wales will cast their votes for the devolved parliaments from 6am GMT to 9pm GMT.
The Scottish National Party (SNP), which is pro Scottish independence, is likely to win the election again according to opinion polls but it is unclear whether they can seal a majority in the Scottish parliament.
If they succeed, party leader Nicola Sturgeon has previously stated she will give citizens the “opportunity” to have a say on whether Scotland should break away from Britain and be its own separate state.
Sturgeon would however wait until after the nation has curbed the coronavirus to hold the referendum. Scotland voted 55 per cent to 45 per cent in 2014 to stay as part of the British union.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been dismissive of a second referendum for Scotland, saying the 2014 vote still holds. Critics though say that came before Britain exited the European Union, which the majority of Scots did not want.
Wales is also holding its parliamentary election on the same day.
Mark Drakeford, of the left-wing Welsh Labour, is keen to have a second term leading the Welsh parliament.
However, latest polls show while his party could gain the most seats, they may not gain a majority either.
This could see him forming a coalition with fellow left-wing party Plaid Cymru, whose leader Adam Price is calling for an independence referendum within five years if his party wins a majority.
GNA