Voting in Scotland’s strangest election since devolution has ended, with the results expected in the next few days.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the counting of votes for the 2021 Holyrood election will take place over a number of days, with all results expected to be declared by Saturday evening.
Counting usually begins immediately after the polls close at 10pm and continues overnight, with results declared in the early hours.
But the need for social distancing among count staff has meant votes will be tallied from Friday morning.
A ballot box breaks open as it arrives at the P&J Live/TECA in Aberdeen (Andrew Milligan/PA)
LIVE Scottish election 2021: Stirling voters await constituency results
The Stirling Observer will be on the scene to bring you the latest on the Stirling constituency count at the Scottish elections 2021.
Votes are still being counted today after Stirling voters headed to the polls yesterday.
In Stirling, the count for the Scottish Parliamentary Elections is taking place at The PEAK at Stirling Sports Village rather than its traditional venue of the Albert Halls, with overall capacity restricted and limited mainly to statutory attendees because of coronavirus restrictions.
The Stirling constituency result is expected to be declared this afternoon (Friday), while the regional list results for Mid Scotland and Fife, as well as the Stirling Council Ward 2 (Forth and Endrick) by-election, are anticipated to be declared tomorrow (Saturday).
Voting in Scotland’s strangest election since devolution has ended, with the results expected in the next few days.
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the counting of votes for the 2021 Holyrood election will take place over a number of days, with all results expected to be declared by Saturday evening.
Counting usually begins immediately after the polls close at 10pm and continues overnight, with results declared in the early hours.
But the need for social distancing among count staff has meant votes will be tallied from Friday morning.
A ballot box breaks open as it arrives at the P&J Live/TECA in Aberdeen (Andrew Milligan/PA)
The Alba Party’s register of success is its place among the furniture of Scottish politics, Alex Salmond has said.
The new pro-independence party emerged just six weeks ago with the aim of creating a “supermajority” in Parliament on the issue, targeting regional list seats.
Mr Salmond, Alba’s leader and the former first minister, tops the party’s North East Scotland regional list and he was at the P&J Live/Teca venue in Aberdeen to watch ballots being counted from early on Friday morning.
Alba has received just a 2.07% share in the regional vote for the Aberdeen Donside constituency – with the full list results due to be declared on Saturday.
The SNP’s newest MSP has said concerns that accusations against her predecessor Mark McDonald could have impacted the party’s majority were “not something that crossed my mind”.
Jackie Dunbar, an Aberdeen City councillor who will keep that role until the next local election, won the Aberdeen Donside seat in the Scottish Parliament in the second result announced on Friday.
Taking 18,514 votes – a 51.6% share – she beat Conservative Harriet Cross and Labour’s Heather Herbert, who secured 9,488 votes and 5,505 respectively.
Mr McDonald won the seat for the SNP five years ago but quit the party in 2018 and was briefly suspended by Parliament after being accused of inappropriate behaviour by three women.