Row breaks out over Scottish Green selection contest as key figure quits

The party sought to reassure members the process was "compliant with our selections procedure" after questions were raised by concerned activists.

However, shortly after this statement was released to the media, its internal elections officer, Kate Joester, announced she had quit.

It comes after Maggie Chapman, a former co-convener of the Greens, failed to top the party’s list for the North East region, meaning she is unlikely to be re-elected.

Ms Chapman sparked controversy earlier this year after accusing the Supreme Court of "bigotry, prejudice and hatred" following a landmark ruling on the legal definition of a woman.

Elsewhere, Patrick Harvie, the Greens co-leader, saw off a bid from a “radical” faction within the party to have him replaced as lead candidate in Glasgow.

The result of both selection contests had been questioned by some activists.

A spokesman for the Greens told The Herald on Monday evening: "The party's internal elections officer [IEO] has confirmed that the process and the methodology used are compliant with our selections procedure, and the lists published are correct.

"The IEO has verified that the count was conducted using iterative rounds of STV [single transferable vote], specifically the Weighted Inclusive Gregory method, and was done as a bottom-up process."

But writing on the party's internal communications channel, Ms Joester said she had not authorised this statement.

"To clarify regarding the statement to the press on members' concerns about counting irregularities: this did not come from me as internal elections officer and I am no longer in that post as of this evening," she said.

The Greens later told members there had been a "misunderstanding about the sign-off" but insisted the original statement defending the process was accurate. The party said it had been shared with Ms Joester in advance.

“To be clear, the party body responsible is satisfied that this process and the methodology used is compliant with our selections procedure; as such, all regional lists stand as they have been published,” it added.