Scottish leader survives confidence vote in parliament

 

Scottish leader Nicola Sturgeon has survived a vote of no confidence held by lawmakers on Tuesday.

The first minister of Scotland and leader of the Scottish National Party faced the vote after an inquiry ruled she “misled” lawmakers during an investigation into her predecessor, Alex Salmond.

A total of 65 Scottish lawmakers voted in favour of her remaining in her post while 31 voted against it. A total of 27 people abstained.

Salmond was accused of sexual harassment in 2018, which led to the Scottish government launching an investigation.

Salmond, who denied the claims, was concerned about how the case was handled and subsequently took the government to court.

The court sided with Salmond and found the government’s investigation was “unlawful” and “tainted with apparent bias.”

In response to the investigation and the judicial proceedings, a committee was set up to see how the government handled the harassment complaints.

It announced on Tuesday that it found the approach was “seriously flawed.”

The opposition Scottish Conservatives subsequently tabled a motion of no confidence in Sturgeon.

Prior to the no-confidence vote, Sturgeon issued a warning to the opposition ahead of the country’s upcoming elections on May 6.

“If you think you can bully me out of office, you are mistaken and you misjudge me. If you want to remove me as First Minister, do it in an election,” she told lawmakers.

READ ALSO: Bandits assassinate Fulani leader in Kaduna

Sturgeon has admitted there were failings in how her government handled the Salmond harassment allegations and referred herself for a separate investigation into whether she broke the so-called ministerial code.

On Monday, the result of the investigation was published, and it stated she had not broken those guidelines.

During parliament’s session on Tuesday, Sturgeon said if the investigation found she had breached the ministerial code – in anything other than the most “technical and immaterial of ways” – she would have resigned.

She added this was because the “integrity of the office” she is “privileged to hold” matters to her.

Vanguard News Nigeria

The post Scottish leader survives confidence vote in parliament appeared first on Vanguard News.