Voters in Alex Salmond’s home village of Strichen can cast their ballots in an Aberdeenshire Council by-election on Thursday, just nine days after the former first minister was laid to rest.
But they won’t be able to vote for the pro-independence party he founded in the Central Buchan council ward.
The Alba Party is also not fielding candidates in the Fraserburgh or Mearns byelections, all held on the same day in an unusual triple contest.
That decision may seem strange given Mr Salmond identified the north-east as the key target for Alba in 2026, before his sudden death on October 12.
The ex-SNP leader had hoped to stand in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency at the next Holyrood election, where he might have stood a chance of re-election.
Why did Alba stay out of the three crucial by-elections, and what does it mean for the future of the party Mr Salmond founded?
Would a bad result undermine Alba?
Polling expert Allan Faulds, who runs website Ballot Box Scotland, said he was surprised Alba is not standing.
The party contested all three wards at the 2022 local elections – with two defecting SNP councillors on the ballot as well.
It was hoped Aberdeenshire might be a region where Alba could see some success.
Standing there could have been a useful testing ground less than two years out from the next Scottish Parliament vote.
“This should be a heartland area for them,” Mr Faulds told The Press and Journal.
That heartland includes Strichen, where Mr Salmond’s funeral was held for family and close friends last Tuesday.
Mr Salmond had set targets for Alba to win at least 20 MSPs at the next Holyrood vote.
That was seen as a particularly bold claim given nobody has actually ever been elected standing for the pro-independence group.
Alba gained just over 2.3% of the vote in the North East region in 2021.
Even Mr Salmond’s name being on the ballot couldn’t tempt many SNP supporters to lend his new party their support.
Mr Faulds wonders if the risk of an embarrassing night for the pro-independence party may have influenced the decision not to run.
“The cynic in me says they don’t have the candidates and don’t think they’d do well with paper candidates,” he said.
“Doing so would risk undermining largely unsupported claims they are on track for MSPs in 2026,” he said.
‘We’re committed to the north-east’
An Alba spokesperson admitted the election being called at short notice affected the party’s ability to find candidates.
The party says it put heavy resources into a Dundee by-election, where the local candidate gained more than 5% of the vote.
The spokesperson said: “We’re obviously committed to the north-east of Scotland.
“Voters can be rest assured they’ll be hearing plenty from the Alba Party.”
Full list of Aberdeenshire candidates
Fraserburgh and District
- Sandy Leslie (LibDem)
- Mike McDonald (SNP)
- Conrad Ritchie (Reform)
- Dawn Smith (Scottish Family Party)
- Iain Sutherland (Cons)
Mearns
- Isobel Knights (LibDem)
- Claudia Leith (Reform)
- William Linegar (Green)
- Hannah Scot (SNP)
- Tracey Smith (Cons)
Central Buchan
- Ian Bailey (LibDem)
- Peter Chapman (Cons)
- Andrew Curwen (Reform)
- Phil Reynolds (Scottish Family Party)
- Dean Ward (Independent)
- Sarah Wilken (SNP)
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