Greens triple MSPs but fail to top best ever result

The Scottish Greens have jumped from two to six MSPs, but failed to top their best ever result.

Six Scottish Green MSPs have been elected in regions across Scotland, including the youngest ever MSP in the Scottish Parliament, Ross Greer, in the West of Scotland, one less than the seven MSPs they had in 2003.

The party’s co-convener Patrick Harvie also had a strong constituency result, coming in second behind the SNP in the Glasgow Kelvin constituency.

Harvie and fellow sitting MSP Alison Johnstone were re-elected on the Glasgow and Lothians lists respectively.

Land reform campaigner Andy Wightman was also gained a seat on the Lothians list, the only region where the party succeeded in getting a second candidate elected.

Former SNP MSP John Finnie was re-elected as an MSP for the Greens on the Highlands and Islands regional list.

Finnie was elected as an SNP MSP in the last parliament, but split from the Nationalists over a change of policy on membership of NATO.

He continued as an independent MSP for the remaining term, although he became a member of the Scottish Green Party and was the Scottish Greens’ spokesperson on justice.

Mark Ruskell was elected in Mid Scotland and Fife, a seat he previously held from 2003 to 2007.

In the first election where the Green had contested any constituencies, Patrick Harvie stood in Glasgow Kelvin and Alison Johnstone in Edinburgh Central.

Patrick Harvie came in second in Glasgow Kelvin with 24.3 per cent of the vote.

The seat was taken by Sandra White with 38.5 per cent of the vote.

In the Glasgow regional list the number of votes for the Greens nearly doubled from 12,454 in 2011 to 23,398 – over nine per cent of the vote.

Responding to the result, Harvie said: "Caroline Lucas in Brighton has shown how Greens can win and hold first past the post seats.

“The Scottish Greens have begun that journey and our result in Glasgow Kelvin is a great start for us to build on."

Alison Johnstone came in fourth in Edinburgh Central, which was taken from the SNP by the Conservatives, after Scottish government minister Marco Biagi stood down at this election.

The Greens got no candidates in the Central Scotland, North East or South of Scotland regions.

Scottish Green co-convener Maggie Chapman had hoped to be elected in the North East.