Ruth accuses Salmond of acting like ‘school bully’ over his refusal to allow Electoral Commission to oversee referendum

The First Minister's senior special advisor has told journalists that the SNP refuses to allow the independent Electoral Commission to oversee the independence referendum and accuses it of being politicised.

He also questioned the independence of the body despite the SNP giving its support at Westminster to the setting up of the Electoral Commission.

The Commission was also responsible for overseeing the SNP's success in the 2007 and 2011 Holyrood elections, in addition to regulating the recent AV referendum and last year's vote for the Welsh Assembly for more powers.

Last year, the SNP extended the scope of the body to oversee the local elections in Scotland, and one of the SNP's own ministers even said last year that it would have been "useful" if the Commission had been in place to regulate the 1979 referendum.

Ruth Davidson said:

"This is an astonishing attack in the name of Alex Salmond on the integrity and impartiality of the Commissioners. Why doesn't he trust the Electoral Commission? Why does he want to handpick people for his own election watchdog?

"Alex Salmond is acting like the school bully who is determined to get what he wants by whatever means necessary.

"This blatant attempt to manipulate the process of holding a referendum exposes the sinister control freakery of the SNP and raises doubts about whether they really want a fair, legitimate and clean referendum. The people of Scotland deserve nothing less.

"It also exposes Alex Salmond's uncanny ability for convenient amnesia, since his own party gave their support at Westminster in establishing the Electoral Commission.

"The body was also in place for the 2007 and 2011 Holyrood elections, which the SNP won, and last year the party extended its scope in Scotland to cover the council elections.

"The ex-Presiding Officer, the SNP's former MP and MSP George Reid even sits as one of its Commissioners.

"Alex Salmond might like to think he is the team captain but that doesn't mean he gets the right to appoint his own referee. It is time he backed off."

The UK Electoral Commission was established by the Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Act 2000 and set up in 2001.

At the time, Alex Salmond was MP for Banff and Buchan.

Political Parties, Elections and Referendums Bill

The third reading was approved without dissent on March 14th 2000 http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/2000/mar/14/repeals (see bottom of page)

This followed earlier discussion of amendments to the Bill, at which Alistair Morgan MP was in the Chamber at the time. http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/commons/2000/mar/14/orders-regulating-conduct-of-referendums

An overall summary of the day's business in relation to the Bill is here: http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/sittings/2000/mar/14#commons

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Electoral Commission and Local Government

The powers of the Electoral Commission were extended to Scottish local government elections in the Electoral Administration (Scotland) Act 2011. This was a Scottish Government Bill, fully backed by the SNP and which implemented some of the recommendations of the Gould Report (2007). The Bill was passed unanimously.

Jim Mather MSP, Minister for Enterprise, Energy and Tourism, introduced the Bill at stage 3 on 16 March 2011, saying—

"The provisions [relating to the Electoral Commission] will ensure there is consistent oversight and reporting on the administration of all general elections in Scotland"

Stewart Stevenson MSP said in the same debate -

"It is certainly important that the Electoral Commission should report on how elections have gone. An illustration of when a report by the Electoral Commission might have been useful is the referendum that was held on 1 March 1979."

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