14 Oct 2022, 13:28

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Neutrality amendment on referendum rejected by National Assembly

An amendment to add a neutrality question to the 2023 referendum was rejected 130-118
October 14, 2022


This morning, the proposal to add a neutrality question to the 2023 reform referendum was rejected in the National Assembly, with a four-vote difference. The proposal was submitted by Labour assembly member Basil Osborne and was put up for voting after days of debate.

The proposal was defeated 130-118, with 68 of The Third Option's 73 assembly members, and 30 of New Democracy's 40 assembly members voting against it. Also, 10 of 11 assembly members of the Socialist Alliance, all 5 assembly members of The Crimson and For The People, all 3 assembly members of the Christian Cultural Movement and four of twelve independent assembly members voted against the measure.

All assembly members of Labour and The Greens voted for the measure. Furthermore, two independent MPs abstained from voting. Only 5 of The Nationals' 15 assembly members voted against the proposal, which some political experts comment as another signal of The Nationals distancing themselves from the ruling coalition, and President Greenwich Grimwald.

The proposal to add a neutrality question to the referendum comes after Councillor Liam Zachary's announcement that he would submit a neutrality motion for Elthize. According to Zachary, the motion will be discussed with President Grimwald in November and is expected to be submitted to the European Council in January.

The rejection of the proposal is a blow to Michael Jenkins, head of Labour and leader of the opposition. It is expected that a similar bill will be submitted to the Senate by a Labour or Green senator, where the bill may circumvent the National Assembly.

While the proposal to add a neutrality question to the referendum was rejected, the idea remains popular with the Elthic public: According to the Polling Institution of Elthize (PIE), 68% of those questioned thought that it would be incorrect not to have a referendum on Elthize's neutrality.