NICOLA Sturgeon has praised SNP members' "overwhelming endorsement" of a co-operation deal with the Scottish Greens.
A total of 94.9% of the party's members voted for the deal.
Greens co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater would become government ministers under the powersharing deal, with the Greens required to back the Scottish Government in confidence votes and annual budgets as they work on a raft of agreed policy areas, including tackling the climate emergency, Scottish independence and rent controls.
Public disagreement between the parties would only be allowed on a set of agreed topics, such as aviation policy, green ports, direct financial support to businesses involved in the aerospace, defence and security sectors, field sports and the economic principles related to concepts of sustainable growth and inclusive growth.
With proxy votes still to be counted, 715 Scottish Greens members (88.5%) had backed the deal, 84 (10.4%) voted against and nine (1.1%) abstained.
Delighted with this overwhelming endorsement by @theSNP members of the @scotgov @scottishgreens Co-operation Agreement.
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) August 28, 2021
Looking forward now to getting on with the job of building a greener, fairer, independent Scotland!
💛 🤝 💚 https://t.co/BkH398qHCY
The draft powersharing agreement was formally announced by Sturgeon along with the two Scottish Green co-leaders at her official residence, Bute House in Edinburgh, on August 20.
Announcing the deal, Sturgeon stressed it is not a coalition but “about doing politics and governance better”.
READ MORE: Scottish Green Party members vote to back SNP co-operation deal
Negotiated over the summer after the SNP fell one seat short of an overall majority in May’s election, the deal involves a shared policy platform agreed by both sides which would be pursued by the Scottish Government.
This includes an agreement to pursue another vote on Scottish independence before the end of 2023, if the threat of coronavirus has subsided.
It covers the majority of domestic policy, with 10 areas excluded where opinions differ.
The Scottish Conservatives branded the deal as creating a “coalition of chaos” focused on independence, while Scottish Labour said the “coalition of cuts” is a “disaster for Scotland”.
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