Salmond urges Scottish voters to grasp independence
Thu Sep 18, 2014 1:14AM GMT
35
4
Scotland's
First Minister Alex Salmond has called upon Scottish voters to seize
the opportunity for independence from the United Kingdom in Thursday’s
referendum.
"This is our opportunity of a lifetime and we must seize it with both
hands," Salmond, who waved blue and white Scottish Saltire flags and
occasionally broke into "Yes we can" chants, told a crowd of supporters
in Perth, eastern Scotland, on Wednesday.He added, "This in my estimation has been the greatest campaign in Scottish democratic history."
"Tomorrow for a few precious hours during polling day, the people of Scotland will hold in our hands the exclusive solemn power to define our nation for the future," Salmond said."It's the greatest, most empowering moment that any of us will ever have," Scotland’s pro-independence leader noted.
Earlier on Wednesday, supporters of Scotland’s independence attended a mass rally in central Glasgow. Pro-U-K activists gathered nearby, shouting the case for independence had not been made.
Polls will open in Scotland at 7 a.m. local time (0600 GMT) on Thursday, when Scottish voters will decide whether or not to end their 307-year union with England and become the newest independent nation in the world.
The Westminster has repeatedly warned against Scotland’s independence, saying it will jeopardize the UK’s stability and damage its international standing.
Scottish authorities, on the other hand, argue that independence from the UK would free Scotland from London’s austerity policies and unnecessary military spending.
Over four million voters in Scotland are eligible to cast their ballots. The latest polls indicate that the result is too close to call.
MP/MAM/MHB