Latest headlines
-
Victory for the SNP with 63 seats - two short of a majority
-
Conservatives are the second largest party on 31 seats - but Labour on 24 lost 13 seats
-
Scottish Greens are the fourth largest party with six seats, ahead of the Lib Dems who won five
-
See the of Scotland
Scoreboard
Party | Candidates | Votes | % | Net percentage change in seats |
---|---|---|---|---|
Party
SNP Scottish National Party |
Candidates Stewart Stevenson | Votes 15,802 | 55.1% | Net percentage change in seats −12.1 |
Party
CON Scottish Conservatives |
Candidates Peter Chapman | Votes 9,219 | 32.1% | Net percentage change in seats +13.8 |
Party
LAB Scottish Labour |
Candidates Nathan Morrison | Votes 2,372 | 8.3% | Net percentage change in seats −2.3 |
Party
LD Scottish Lib Dems |
Candidates David Evans | Votes 1,290 | 4.5% | Net percentage change in seats +0.7 |
Change compared with 2011 |
Turnout and Majority
Scottish National Party Majority
6,583Turnout
48.5%Constituency Profile
The seat hugs the water, incorporating the North Sea coastline, and also has inland areas of agricultural land.
It contains the major fishing ports of Peterhead and Fraserburgh, and the oil and gas industry is also crucial to the local economy. The constituency contains St Fergus, where a vast terminal takes nearly half the UK's gas from off-shore, as well as Peterhead Prison. Tourism is also important to the region, as it boasts some spectacular scenery and secluded resorts.
Former First Minister Alex Salmond won this seat for his party at the 1999 election. But in 2001 he left Holyrood and returned to Westminster, where he had been an MP for the area. SNP colleague Stewart Stevenson stood in the by-election and won the Banff and Buchan constituency for Holyrood. Mr Stevenson retained the seat in all three subsequent Scottish elections, in 2003, 2007 and 2011.