CONTINGENCY plans are being drawn up in case next year's Holyrood election cannot go ahead due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Deputy First Minister John Swinney said it is "appropriate" alternative measures are looked at in case the election is not "practical".
However he said the Scottish Government's priority is to ensure the election can take place on May 6 as timetabled.
His comments came after the Sunday Mail reported discussions are under way between ministers, political parties and the Electoral Commission over possible contingency plans.
This could see the date pushed back to October, the newspaper reported, or a 100 per cent postal vote held instead.
Next year's election is set to prove crucial in the battle over whether there should be a second independence referendum.
If the SNP secures a majority, the pressure on the UK Government to agree to another poll will be intense.
Asked about the election on the BBC's Politics Scotland, Mr Swinney said there is "a bit of uncertainty about the period that lies ahead".
He said: "The Government's plan and Parliament's plan is that the election should take place as scheduled on the first Thursday in May.
"Obviously there are some contingencies being looked at by Parliament, by all parties.
"We'll continue to discuss those issues because it's vital that we have that democratic process to enable Scotland to choose their government.
"Certainly from the Government's point of view, we want the election in May to go ahead as timetabled already."
He added: "The Government's priority is to make sure the election can take place as timetabled in May.
"I think people would expect that. It's the moment in the electoral cycle where parliament should be reelected.
"The public should have their choice about who should represent them in Parliament.
"I think it's important that we focus on that as the timetabled priority for the people to decide.
"And obviously it's appropriate that there would be contingencies in case that is not practical.
"But the Government's priority is to make sure the elections take place in May as scheduled and we're working towards that objective."
If the election were to go ahead while coronavirus was not fully under control, questions have been raised about the ability of party members and supporters to canvas for votes.
Safety issues around how the public could cast their ballots have also been raised.
SNP MSP Alex Neil, a former Scottish Government minister, told the Sunday Mail the beginning of December "is about the last opportunity you'd have to postpone the election".
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel