THE right to recall politicians for poor behaviour between elections should be enshrined in a written constitution for an independent Scotland, according to Deputy First Minister Nicola Sturgeon.
She offered support for the proposal, which would allow people effectively to "sack" their elected representative, at a Law Society of Scotland conference on the referendum.
"I think the time has come to give the people more say and control over who represents them between elections - obviously they have the ultimate say at elections," she told the audience of solicitors and legal professionals in Edinburgh.
She added: "A recall provision has to be tightly and carefully drawn to prevent abuse, but we've seen through - particularly the expenses scandals - some quite outrageous situations where politicians behave appallingly and the electorate seem powerless to do anything about that.
"I would never be complacent about this, but the Scottish Parliament, after some very difficult early experiences around expenses, has largely got this more right than Westminster."
She stressed that wider society should be involved in the writing of a constitution.
An interim constitutional platform is due to be published before summer to provide the basic foundation for Scotland to become an independent state, she said.
Ms Sturgeon gave her view after setting out her case for a Yes vote in the referendum on September 18.
The case for keeping Scotland in the UK was made by Alistair Carmichael, the Scottish Secretary in the UK Government.
Both politicians have a background in law.
The Deputy First Minister said: "For just a few hours between 7am and 10pm, when the polls are open, the Scottish people will be totally sovereign.
"Each and every one of us will have the control of our country's future in our own hands. We'll know shortly after the polling stations close whether we've kept control of our own country or handed it straight back to politicians at Westminster.
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