THE coming Scottish Parliament election is a significant one for New Scots communities, and all of us working to protect refugee rights in Scotland.

Not only is it taking place in the 70th anniversary year of the UN Refugee Convention, but it is the first in which people living in Scotland who have refugee status are eligible to vote.

The right to vote is a fundamental part of being able to fully participate in society, and is a key step towards the civic integration we know leads to the best outcomes for people rebuilding their lives in Scotland.

The Scottish Refugee Council was just one partner in a broader campaign to win the right to vote for New Scots.

During the campaign, many people said that the power to vote was an important part of being recognised as a New Scot and being fully accepted in the national and political community.

Without the right to vote, some New Scots felt that politicians did not always listen to what they had to say or what mattered to them. They were represented but had no right to choose their representation, contributing to further political and social marginalisation of already marginalised communities. One young person said that “granting refugees full political rights would help to overturn stereotypes of migrants and asylum seekers as simply victims in need of help”.

This is at the heart of why the right to vote is so essential for everybody resident in Scotland.

For some people, this election will be their first time voting, after experiencing long periods of disenfranchisement in both Scotland and in the countries which they came from.

In the information sessions I’ve been running with New Scots communities around the country, many Syrians for example have shared their experiences of voter suppression and there’s even been laughter about the idea of voting fairly and safely in Syria. One New Scot said: “My country only has one party, it was not democratic.

“Now I know about the five main parties in Scotland and that I have a choice who to vote for.”

But it’s still the case that people who have asylum seeker status cannot vote in Scotland. Some people can be left in limbo for months and years waiting for the Home Office to make a decision on their case. It cannot be right that a country which considers itself to be a democracy disenfranchises people who call Scotland home. The campaign for all people resident in Scotland to have equal access to democracy is ongoing.

The election in May will be the first in which people with refugee status will have a say and have their voices counted.

And whatever the outcome, that is something we all ought to celebrate.

Hannah Pearson works for the Scottish Refugee Council