The 20-year-old, originally from Yemen, came to Scotland just last year with his family, where he now studies engineering, robotics and artificial intelligence at Glasgow University.
He is also also a member of the Refugee Council’s youth advocacy and campaigns group, a young ambassador for the Prince’s Trust and Amnesty International UK’s country co-ordinator for Yemen.
Motaz Amer (Image: Supplied)
Anyone aged 16 or over and resident in Scotland can vote in the Scottish and local elections, regardless of where they were born.
This includes refugees and citizens from other countries who have permission to enter or stay in the UK, or those who do not need such permission.
READ MORE: What was the turnout for previous Scottish Parliament elections?
Amer said it is “absolutely fantastic” that people who have migrated to Scotland from other countries have the right to vote in Scottish elections, adding that it is important for migrants and refugees to “have a voice”.
“If you pay more in your rent, I will pay more in my rent,” he explained. “If I pay more for my groceries, you pay more for your groceries.”
He told The National: “It’s a mix between being excited and looking forward to using my vote to represent my neighbourhood, my community and myself, but as well that frustration of what the results could be.”
Amer pointed towards the rise of Reform UK in Scotland, which some polls have suggested could come second or third in the election, and previous comments party leader Nigel Farage made around bilingual children in Glasgow last year, when he accused schoolchildren who do not principally speak English are “culture smashing” the city.
“We need a government that unites people instead of dividing them,” Amer said.
“At the end of the day, we all live in the same country, we all face the same issues. It would be way more smarter, way more efficient that we work together as a country, as a community, to support each other and to advocate for the things we want to change.”
READ MORE: How many MSPs are elected from the Scottish election?
The biggest issues for Amer coming into this election are the cost of living, which he said had been exacerbated by the US and Israel’s “illegal war on Iran”, NHS waiting times and housing.
But he is also focusing on issues around his own refugee background, particularly on ensuring integration and language support for people arriving in Scotland, and “protecting communities from racism and xenophobia”.
He said that he believed the SNP and Greens were the most popular parties among migrants and refugees in Scotland, adding that he is personally planning on voting for the SNP.
“They did a great job for the past 19 years, they did some incredible achievements,” Amer said.
Motaz Amer with First Minister John Swinney (Image: Supplied)
He praised John Swinney as SNP leader and said he approved of the party’s focus on the cost of living and improving NHS services.
He added: “They’re committed to ensuring people can belong in Scotland and can contribute to Scotland and become part of our community.”
The polls for the Scottish election are open between 7am and 10pm on Thursday.
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