The newest party in Scotland, the Alba Party, has announced its 32 candidates standing in every region of Scotland.
The way the voting system works is a form of proportional representation, with first past the post for constituency candidates. As the Alba Party candidates are only standing on the list and not in any individual constituencies, there is a high likelihood of at least some of the 32 being elected.
Party leader Alex Salmond and Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh are standing as candidates, as well as former Edinburgh Southern MSP, Jim Eadie.
The four candidates in Lothian are as follows:
Irshad Ahmed, an Edinburgh businessman who campaigned for independence for the SNP in 2014. He left the SNP on 29 March and joined the Alba Party the following day.
He has been a candidate for the city council, Holyrood and Westminster in the past and is a director of Edinburgh & Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC).
Christina Hendry is a former Member of the Scottish Youth Parliament and a psychologist with NHS. She believes that independence will give Scotland “the necessary powers to tackle poverty and provide accessible education and opportunities in employment”.
Alex Arthur is a former featherweight boxer and firmly believes in independence and Covid recivery. He wants to focus on sport in working-class communities ensuring “no young person is left behind”.
Kenny Macaskill MP is well-known to most Scots. He was formerly an MSP and Justice Secretary who repatriated the convicted Pan Am 103 bomber Abdelbaset al-Megrahi to Libya on compassionate grounds. Mr al-Megrahi had cancer. Having stood down from The Scottish Parliament in 2016, he then stood in the 2019 election and was elected MP for East Lothian.
There is information on all 32 candidates on the Alba Party website here.
All photos courtesy of Alba Party.
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