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Wales gives narrow approval to home rule
Cliffhanger victory for assembly
September 19, 1997
Web posted at: 12:03 a.m. EST (0503 GMT)CARDIFF, Wales (CNN) -- In a cliffhanger ballot not decided until the very last district reported, the voters of Wales have apparently approved a plan to set up their own governing assembly.
With more than 1.1 million votes cast in a referendum Thursday, the margin between yes and no was a razor-thin 6,700 votes.
As reporting of returns progressed throughout the evening and into the early hours of Friday morning, the yes vote had trailed the no vote. At one point, the British Broadcasting Corporation even projected that the proposal for limited home rule -- into which new Labour Prime Minister Tony Blair had invested much political capital -- had been defeated.
But in a dramatic finish, when the last of the 22 districts reported, the outcome tipped the other way.
However, Welsh voters were apparently not that excited by the prospect of creating their first independent legislative body in nearly six centuries. The BBC was reporting that the overall turnout was just 51 percent, compared to nearly 74 percent of Welsh voters who turned out in May's general election.
In contrast, 62 percent of Scottish voters turned out last week to give an enthusiastic thumbs up to a separate parliament with tax-raising powers.
Still, Blair hailed the victory.
"I am very pleased that the people of Wales have said yes," Blair said. "We were elected on a pledge to modernize our constitution, and, thanks to the people of Wales and Scotland, we have taken two big steps along that road."
The opposition Conservative Party, which opposed the home rule measures for both Scotland and Wales, took some comfort from the closeness of the vote in Wales.
"It is not an endorsement whatsoever of that major constitutional change. [The Blair government] should think very carefully indeed," said lawmaker Nigel Evans, the Conservatives' spokesman on Welsh issues.
Voters were asked to approve a proposal for a 60-member Welsh Assembly, which would open in 2000 in Cardiff. It would be less powerful than the Scottish parliament, with no authority to raise taxes.
The assembly would only decide budget matters related to education, health and transportation in Wales, which is located to the west of England. All other matters would still be decided by the central parliament in London, in which Wales would retain its 40 representatives.
The Welsh Assembly would not be able to overturn legislation passed by the London parliament.
Blair championed 'devolution'
Blair made decentralization of government, or "devolution" as it's known in Britain, a centerpiece of the last election campaign. Separate assemblies in Scotland and Wales were the first steps along that road.
The Labor government was joined in the campaign for a yes vote by Plaid Cymru, the Welsh nationalist party that supports eventual independence from the United Kingdom.
The Conservatives, who lost all of their seats in Wales during their stunning defeat in the general election, were the only major party to campaign against the assembly.
Opponents of the assembly believe that it could lead to demands for independence and the eventual breakup of the United Kingdom, which consists of England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
While Wales is officially bilingual, only about 20 percent of the population of 2.9 million can speak the Welsh language. Most of those are in northern Wales, where nationalist support is strongest.
The more populous and more English-oriented south, which includes the capital, Cardiff, was less receptive to the idea of devolution. About 56 percent of the voters in the capital voted no.
Wales came under England's control in 1404 and was formally integrated by a parliamentary Act of Union in the 16th century. Unlike Scotland, the legal and educational systems of Wales are intertwined with those of England.
Correspondent Richard Blystone and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- Wales votes on limited self-government - September 18, 1997
- Scots overwhelmingly endorse creating own Parliament - September 12, 1997
- Scots support creating own Parliament, early results show - September 11, 1997
- Scots break with tradition to vote on new parliament - September 11, 1997
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