Scottish National Party vote in all-women and 'balanced' shortlists for next Holyrood election

Story here. Excerpt:

'The Scottish National party has voted heavily in favour of introducing all women shortlists and “balanced” regional lists, reversing decades-long opposition to positive action.

SNP officials refused to disclose the voting numbers and would not allow media into the debate – fearing it would be heated, but in a closed session of the party’s pre-election conference at the SECC in Glasgow delegates gave the party’s national executive three new powers to push women candidates forward.

The vote, which saw two amendments against the motion defeated, has empowered the NEC to:

• introduce an all-women shortlist for a Holyrood seat where the sitting MP stands down
• ensure that any open shortlist for a constituency seat has at least one women [sic] candidate
• introduce “balanced lists” on the regional list, where the list has to have an equal number of male and female candidates.

As this blog reported last week, some of these powers are conditional. The new constitution says the NEC “may” introduce balanced regional lists and “may” require all women shortlists, and it only – at this stage – effects the 2016 Holyrood [link added] election.'