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| Turnout | 2,543 (50.8%) [1] | ||||||||||||
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The 2025 Alba Party leadership election took place on 26 March 2025 to elect the leader of the Alba Party following the death of Alex Salmond on 12 October 2024. [2] Kenny MacAskill was elected, defeating Ash Regan 52.3% to 47.7%. [3] Over 2,500 votes were cast out of 5,002 eligible Alba Party members. [1]
The Alba Party is a pro independence party which broke away from the Scottish National Party. [4] [5] The party gained prominence when the SNP–Green coalition broke down in early 2024. [6] The party defined itself as advocating a more radical strategy for independence. [7] The party contested the 2021 Scottish Parliament election and the 2024 United Kingdom general election but won no seats. [8] Following the death of Alex Salmond, the future of the party looked uncertain. [9] The party has reportedly been affected by internal conflict since his death. [10]
Ahead of the 2026 Scottish Parliament election, the Alba Party made some gains in opinion polling. [11] [12] One poll put them on 7% of the list vote, under which they would be predicted to receive eight list MSPs. [13] In this scenario, Alba would be projected to be part of a pro-independence majority in the parliament. [14] [15]
Alba general secretary Chris McEleny announced he would stand down to ensure Salmond's successor would be "free to run the party differently". [16] He stood for deputy leader [17] [18] despite being suspended from the party for "gross misconduct". [19] The other candidate for deputy leader is former MP for Kirkaldy and Cowdenbeath Neale Hanvey. [20]
Nominations to stand for leader and deputy leader of the party closed on 2 March. [21] The leadership election is expected to conclude at their party conference in March. [22] Party members will vote for the new leadership. [21] The new leader and deputy leader will be announced on 26 March ahead of the party conference in Edinburgh from 28 to 29 March. [21]
| Candidate | Offices held at the time of the election | Constituency | Former ministerial offices | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ash Regan | Leader of the Alba Party in the Scottish Parliament (2023–present) | Member of the Scottish Parliament for Edinburgh Eastern (2016–present) | Minister for Community Safety (2018–2022) | [23] |
| Kenny MacAskill | Depute Leader of the Alba Party (2021–present) Acting Leader of the Alba Party | Member of Parliament (2019–2024) Member of the Scottish Parliament (1999–2016) | Cabinet Secretary for Justice (2007–2014) | [24] |
The rivalry between Regan and MacAskill was described as a "rancorous contest". [25]
If elected Ash Regan said she intended to work with any party on a case-by-case basis. [26] Kenny MacAskill ruled out any discussions with Reform UK under any circumstances. [27]
Regan argued Nicola Sturgeon did "massive damage to the cause of Scottish independence". [28] MacAskill was considered politically closer to Salmond. [29]
On 6 March 2025, MacAskill and Regan took part in a televised debate on STV hosted by Colin Mackay. [30] On 6 March, an online hustings was hosted by The National. [31]
On 8 March, MacAskill and Regan attended a hustings in Glasgow chaired by former SNP MSP Mike MacKenzie. [32]
On 16 March, the final in-person hustings was held in Inverness. [20]
Kenny MacAskill was elected, defeating Ash Regan 52.3% to 47.7%. [34] Neale Hanvey was elected deputy. [35] He beat Chris McEleny with 77.8% of votes cast to 22.2%. [36] After the result McEleny threatened legal action over his dismissal. [37]
2025 United Kingdom party leadership elections | ||
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