Kenny MacAskill has emerged as the fresh leader of the pro-independence Alba Party, taking over after the untimely death of party founder and former First Minister Alex Salmond. In a two-way ballot for the leadership role, MacAskill, a former Alba MP, narrowly defeated Ash Regan, the party’s lone MSP, securing 1331 votes (52.3%) compared to Regan’s 1212 votes (47.7%).
Former Alba MP Neale Hanvey clinched the role of deputy leader with an overwhelming 78% of the vote, triumphing over ex-general secretary Chris McEleny. The deliberations were not without discord, with reports of internal conflicts, including allegations of bullying and harassment, the suspension of McEleny as general secretary, and the resignation of other party officials.
MacAskill, who previously served as the SNP justice secretary, switched over to Alba in 2021 when he represented East Lothian as an MP. Despite losing his seat in the recent general election, MacAskill expressed his commitment to realizing Salmond’s vision of independence, stating, “He will never be forgotten but the duty that now falls to me and all Alba Party members is to deliver his dream of independence.”
Regan, Alba’s single representative in the Scottish Parliament, defected from the SNP in 2023 subsequent to an unsuccessful attempt to vie for the position of party leader following Nicola Sturgeon. A year earlier, she had stepped down as community safety minister in disagreement with the government’s proposed reforms to gender recognition laws. The leadership contest was triggered by Salmond’s death from a heart attack while attending a conference in North Macedonia in October, with both candidates contending that Salmond would have wished for their success
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
