The Green Paper on Independence recommends that at least two-thirds of Bermuda voters would have to turn out for the Independence referendum for the result to be considered binding.

Provided there is a two-thirds turn-out at the polls, only a simple majority of votes cast would be needed to give Government a mandate to pursue Independence.

The two-thirds requirement -- which was an ingredient of an Independence Referendum Act defeated in the House of Assembly last year -- is spelled out in the discussion paper on Independence tabled yesterday in the House of Assembly.

It answers a key concern of Independent Sen. Alf Oughton, who had helped the Senate block an earlier Independence referendum bill.

Yesterday, Sen. Oughton said he had not yet seen the Green Paper, so he was unable to comment on it directly.

But he was criticised for his role in sending an amended referendum bill back to the House, and now feels vindicated, he said.

"My main objective before was to put the brakes on the process,'' Sen.

Oughton told The Royal Gazette . "It's created a lot of discussion, and a lot of interest, and we've now got a document that people will be able to talk about and digest.'' Knowing that only 37 percent of the electorate had turned out for the referendum on capital punishment, Sen. Oughton said his main concern was that the Independence issue could be decided by a minority of voters or that the Bermuda Government could go to London with an Independence mandate that the United Kingdom would not accept.

With the interest generated in the preparation of the Green Paper, "I would imagine the chances of getting a good turn-out at the referendum, should it be held, are very good now,'' he said.

Requiring a two-thirds turn-out is "a pretty healthy situation''.

It is worth noting that the Green Paper does not say that Government could not act on a "yes'' vote for Independence if the turn-out at the polls was less than two thirds. It says that only if the turn-out was at least that large would the outcome "be binding on the Government.''