Four candidates confirmed for Scottish Greens co-leadership contest - including Ross Greer and Lorna Slater
The Scottish Greens will elect two co-leaders next month to take the party into next year’s Holyrood election.
Four candidates will battle it out for the two Scottish Greens co-leadership roles ahead of next year’s Holyrood election.
Patrick Harvie, who has been an MSP since 2003, is stepping down ahead of the coming co-convener election, while incumbent co-leader, Lorna Slater, is seeking re-election.
Mr Harvie withstood a campaign from some activists to deselect him as a candidate ahead of next year's Holyrood election and will be the party’s first choice on the regional list for Glasgow.
As well as Ms Slater, who tops the Edinburgh and Lothians East list for the Greens, two MSPs and a party candidate have put themselves forward for the two leadership roles.
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Previously, at least one of the co-conveners was required to be female. But the party has scrapped the rule over the “legal implications and risks” following the Supreme Court judgment that established a new position that a woman in the Equality Act referred to a biological woman.
A Greens spokesperson said the decision was necessary “given the toxic, reactionary culture war that has been waged against our trans community by other parties and parts of the media”.
That means any of the four candidates can be elected co-leader of the Scottish Greens.
Alongside Ms Slater, Central Scotland MSP Gillian Mackay, who successfully introduced buffer zones outside abortion clinics to prevent anti-abortion protesters from harassing people attending medical appointments, is vying for the leadership role.
Greens finance spokesperson Ross Greer is also in the running, having taken on a key role in talks with SNP ministers over the Bute House Agreement and budget negotiations.
Research and development manager, Dominic Ashmole, has also put himself forward for the leadership contest, having been selected as a candidate for the South Scotland region for the party at next year's election.
During the announcement of election candidates last week, Greens internal elections officer Kate Joester resigned after failing to spot an issue from a third party and admitted there was an “anomaly”.
Party members will vote for two co-leaders next month.
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