MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Gibraltarians will be able to vote in UK's referendum on ties with European Union
Legislation for the referendum will be introduced to the UK Parliament on Thursday, the day after the Queen's Speech. Gibraltarians will be able to vote in Britain’s referendum on whether to sever ties with the European Union. The franchise for referendum, promised by Prime Minister David Cameron by the end of 2017, will be based on that for a UK general election - meaning Irish, Maltese and Cypriots resident in the UK will get a vote, but other EU citizens will not.
Citizens from most European Union countries living in the UK will be barred from voting. Legislation for the referendum will be introduced to the UK Parliament on Thursday, the day after the Queen's Speech.
The Bill will make clear that the franchise will be based on that for a general election, plus members of the House of Lords and Commonwealth citizens in Gibraltar.
Details about the planned public vote were revealed as European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker was due to hold talks with PM Cameron at Chequers, the Prime Minister's country residence.
British, Irish and Commonwealth citizens over 18 who are resident in the UK will be eligible to vote, as well as UK nationals resident overseas for less than 15 years.
Eurosceptics had claimed that as many as 1.5 million people from other EU countries could have been allowed to vote in the plebiscite if it had taken place under the rules for local government elections, which citizens of other member states can participate in.
Official figures show the total number of UK parliamentary electors in 2014 was 45.3 million while the number of local government electors was 46.8 million.
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Read all commentsI really hope and wish we would all realise and take this chance to get out of this doomed organisation, but the odds are going to get stacked for staying in, Cameron will make sure of that. The whole thing is pretty pointless to be honest.
May 25th, 2015 - 09:08 am 0Mercopress- Your headline is incorrect. The only Gibraltarians who can vote in this are those who are resident in the UK long enough to qualify for the UK electoral role will be able to vote.
May 25th, 2015 - 10:13 am 0Gibraltarians who reside in Gibraltar will not!
UK are being very democratic and normal - using their normal electoral role of those who qualify to vote.
@1. Then, for a start, write to your MP. I detect a slight change in position. In 2010, I contacted my MP to say that I wanted to see the UK out of the EU. The response was that Cameron believed it was better to stay in and try to change matters from the inside. Has he realised that trying to engineer change from the inside doesn't work? Has he realised that the EU is now composed mostly of poor countries that want to leech off the others? Here's a useful article. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3095556/Dave-demand-earth-Europe-s-leaders-amazed-wants-LITTLE-says-Daniel-Hannan-Conservative-MEP.html
May 25th, 2015 - 10:46 am 0Don't Britons just want a trading relationship without Europeans telling us how to live? It's not enough to just vote when the moment comes. Look at the number of idiots that think it's right for Britain to stay in. Question them and they mutter, for example, that most of Britain's trade is with the EU. Is it? Never mind the 'statistics'. Here's one real bit of truth. Exports from the UK that are transported via the containerports of Antwerp and Rotterdam are counted as exports to the EU. No matter the final destination. It wasn't long ago that the 'statistics' showed that Britain's trade with the EU was down to about 45% and with the rest of the world up to 55%. And if 10% goes via Antwerp or Rotterdam? Only 35% with the EU and 65% with the rest of the world. Just think about how much is containerised these days. This situation is effectively admitted by the ONS, but in a sort of 'throwaway' fashion.
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