UNITED KINGDOM

Decision day as Scotland votes on independence

Polls have opened in Scotland as voters choose whether to become independent from the United Kingdom in a historic referendum. Opinion polls show the "No" camp with just a slight advantage over the secessionists.

People in Scotland on Thursday began casting their ballots at 7:00 a.m. local time (0600 UTC) in favor of or against maintaining the nation's 307-year union with the United Kingdom.

There was intense campaigning ahead of the poll, culminating in a final day of action on Wednesday in which both sides took to the streets.

"It's the greatest, most empowering moment that any of us will ever have," Scotland's pro-independence First Minister Alex Salmond said at the final event of the campaign on Wednesday, while supporters waived Scottish flags and chanted "Yes we can."

Just hours before voting booths opened, Salmond told a crowd of his supporters in Perth that Thursday's referendum was the "opportunity of our lifetime."

British Prime Minister David Cameron, meanwhile, has pleaded with voters in Scotland to reject independence and remain in "our home." Scotland's potential exit from the UK, which could force Cameron to resign, would be a "painful divorce," rife with economic uncertainty, he added.

Five surveys, conducted by pollsters YouGov, Panelbase, Survation Opinium and ICM, showed that those against independence led secessionists at 48 percent to 52 percent. With just hours to go until voting began, as many as 600,000 Scots remain undecided.

A record turnout of around 80 percent is expected for Thursday's referendum. Some 97 percent of Scotland's people eligible to vote have registered ahead of the poll.

Change ahead

Former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, a Scot who in recent days has led the "Better Together" campaign in favor of keeping the union, told voters on Wednesday in Scotland's biggest city, Glasgow, that the pro-independence Salmond was "leading us into a trap."

Brown made a final appeal to voters in Glasgow

"Have confidence, stand up and be counted tomorrow," he told a unionist crowd. "Say to your friends, for reasons of solidarity, sharing, pride in Scotland, the only answer is vote 'No.'"

Should Scotland choose independence, the nation would have 18 months of talks with Britain to decide how to divide its North Sea oil wealth and decide on a currency. Membership in the European Union and the location of Britain's main nuclear submarine base in Scotland have also been key issues during the campaign.

Even in the event of a "No" vote, Scotland is set to be granted new authority over areas like tax and welfare.

"The status quo is gone," Cameron said on Monday in his final Scottish speech of the campaign. "There is no going back to the way things were. A vote for 'No' means real change."

Cameron, who is deeply unpopular in Scotland, has faced criticism from within his own party for underestimating the possibility of Scottish independence. He will likely face pressure to step down should Scotland vote "Yes," and will have his reputation badly damaged in the event of a narrow "No" outcome.

Voting booths are set to remain open until 10 p.m. (2100 UTC), with results expected to come in during the early hours of Friday.

dr/jr (AFP, Reuters)           dw de