Everything you need to know about the Scottish Greens Co-Leadership elections
Nominations for the Scottish Greens Co-Leadership election are due to open.
Here’s your quick guide to the background, what’s involved, who can take part and the key dates to watch for.
The election of co-leaders is part of our annual internal election process which sees 48 positions across the party up for election this year.
Wait, leadership elections? Haven't there been enough of those lately?
Ah, you’re maybe getting mixed up with some other parties. The Tory Party has burned through three ‘leaders’ since 2019 and a rebellion over Brexit has them facing a fourth.
The SNP recently appointed a new leader after its most recent contest.
The Scottish Greens’ internal democracy works a bit different from other parties.
Our co-leadership posts are automatically up for election every two years, so this event is a pre-planned and regular feature of our party calendar.
Doesn’t that create its own instability?
Not at all, it allows our membership to reaffirm its support for or to change key post holders at a regular interval.
The current co-leaders were first elected in 2019 and returned unopposed in 2021.
This is simply the next party event in that cycle.
What are their main responsibilities?
There is a huge amount of work that goes on, often behind the scenes, in leading a political party in Scotland.
But to boil it down, the co-leaders of the Scottish Greens are primarily responsible for leading the party in the public eye.
That includes acting as chief spokespeople and providing political leadership.
The Scottish Greens must really like elections
We do, of course, given our standing in the polls.
But this internal vote is an important and central part of our constitution, as voted for by our membership.
It is that democratic sense of fairness and responsibility that sets us apart from other political organisations.
We work for people and for planet.
Fair. Ok then, how does it work?
The process will begin with a communication to party members in the coming days.
Nominations open on Wednesday, May 17.
Anyone can stand and we accept applications via our online portal or by post. Nominees require a proposer and a seconder to be eligible.
Nominations close on Monday, June 19.
If anyone is nominated for a position unopposed they must still be approved by the membership. Should others decide to stand, voting in the elections opens on Wednesday, July 5.
Voting closes on Monday, July 24.
Ballots are counted and verified and an announcement will be made on Friday, July 28.
How transparent is the process?
Well, guides like this are designed to help ensure that’s very much the case. Our entire membership of 7,667 is eligible to participate and vote.
The party’s communication team is neutral throughout this process but will handle wider party related inquiries.
Campaign teams for each candidate will deal with their own Press inquiries and strategy.
Results and turnout will be published on or around Friday, July 28.
Helpful. What if I want to know more?
For enquiries, our contact details are listed here.
