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Wales votes on limited self-government
In this story:
September 18, 1997
- What assembly would, wouldn't do
- Labour vs. Conservatives
- Many undecided voters
- Related stories and sites
Web posted at: 10:35 a.m. EDT (1435 GMT)CARDIFF, Wales (CNN) -- The people of Wales began voting Thursday in a referendum to determine whether they want their first elected assembly in 600 years.
Polls close at 10 p.m. (2100 GMT) in Wales, whose 2.9 million people comprise just over one-twentieth of Britain's population.
Final election results were expected in the early hours Friday.
A L S O :
Opinion polls pointed to a vote for greater autonomy, but many voters were undecided right up to the last day of campaigning.
What assembly would, wouldn't do
Wales was annexed to England in 1536 and has not had its own assembly since early in the 15th century. Its proposed successor would open in 2000 in Cardiff, contain 60 members, and control an annual budget of 7 billion pounds ($11 billion U.S.).
The assembly would run some aspects of daily life, such as schools, sports, housing and hospitals, but would not have authority on international affairs or defense. It would also have no law-making or tax-raising powers.
The last time Wales was offered its own assembly, in 1979, people voted "no" by a resounding 4-1 margin.
But the mood in Britain has changed after 18 years of centralized Conservative rule, with support growing under the Labour government for greater democratization.
Labour vs. Conservatives
Last week, Scotland voted by a 3-1 margin for its own assembly, but the Labour government of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, which hopes Wales will do the same, was taking nothing for granted.
Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott campaigned in Newport, South Wales, on Wednesday, urging Welsh voters to say "yes." Opposition Conservative leader William Hague was also in Wales Wednesday, calling for rejection of a local assembly.
Blair says decentralization is key to the "modernization" of Britain.
His government's top official on Wales' affairs -- Welsh Secretary Ron Davies -- rejects arguments from the Conservative Party that a separate legislature will lead to the breakup of Great Britain, which is made up of England, Scotland and Wales.
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Approval of the assembly would be "yet another loosening of the bonds" that hold the nation together, said the Conservative Party's Michael Ancram.
The conservatives are the only large political party urging a "no" vote. Wales' independence-seeking Plaid Cymru party supports creation of a separate assembly.
Many undecided voters
A key reason for voter ambivalence is tension over the often-confusing Welsh language, which has equal legal status with English, even though it is spoken by only 20-percent of the total population of Wales.
In the largely rural north about 60 percent of people speak Welsh. But, apart from pockets, few speak the language in populous south Wales, which includes Cardiff.
Correspondent Richard Blystone and Reuters contributed to this report.
Related stories:
- 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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