Aberdeenshire East

Aberdeenshire East
County constituency
for the Scottish Parliament
Aberdeenshire East shown within the North East Scotland electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Electorate61,078 (2022)[1]
Current constituency
Created2011
PartyScottish National Party
MSPGillian Martin
Council areaAberdeenshire
Created fromBanff and Buchan,
Gordon

Aberdeenshire East (Gaelic: Siorrachd Obar Dheathain an Ear) is a county constituency of the Scottish Parliament covering part of the council area of Aberdeenshire.[2] Under the additional-member electoral system used for elections to the Scottish Parliament, it elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. It is also one of ten constituencies in the North East Scotland electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the ten constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.[3]

The seat was created at the first periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, and largely consists of areas that were in the former constituency of Gordon. It has been held by Gillian Martin of the Scottish National Party since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.

Electoral region

The other nine constituencies of the North East Scotland region are: Aberdeen Central, Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine, Aberdeen Donside, Aberdeenshire West, Angus North and Mearns, Angus South, Banffshire and Buchan Coast, Dundee City East and Dundee City West.[3] The region covers all of the Aberdeen City council area, the Aberdeenshire council area, the Angus council area, the Dundee City council area and part of the Moray council area.[4]

Constituency boundaries and council area

Aberdeenshire is represented by four constituencies in the Scottish Parliament: Aberdeenshire East, Aberdeenshire West, Angus North and Mearns and Banffshire and Buchan Coast.[1]

Aberdeenshire East was created at the first periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries ahead of the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, and largely consists of areas that were in the former constituency of Gordon. The boundaries of the seat were slightly ammended at the second periodic review of Scottish Parliament boundaries in 2025, with minor changes in the boundary with the Banffshire and Buchan Coast constituency in the area around the villages of Maud and Mintlaw. These changes were implemented by Boundaries Scotland in order to address the variation from the electoral quota for these two constituencies, and to recognise community ties in this area. At this review, the following wards of Aberdeenshire Council were used to redefine the seat:[2]

Member of the Scottish Parliament

First contested in the 2011 election, the seat was won by Alex Salmond, who was then First Minister, and had previously held the Gordon seat, from which Aberdeenshire East was largely formed. Salmond had also previously been MSP for Banff and Buchan from 1999 until resigning in 2001, as well as representing the Westminster seat of Banff and Buchan from 1987 until retiring from the British Parliament in 2010.

Election Member Party
2011 Alex Salmond SNP
2016 Gillian Martin

Election results

2020s

2021 Scottish Parliament election: Aberdeenshire East[5][6]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Gillian Martin[a] 18,307 44.6 1.2 14,873 36.1 7.4
Conservative Stewart Whyte 16,418 40.0 11.0 15,112 36.7 6.0
Liberal Democrats Conrad Wood 3,396 8.3 10.7 3,007 7.3 4.4
Labour Graeme Downie 2,900 7.1 0.9 3,092 7.3 1.1
Green 2,326 5.7 1.6
Alba 1,235 3.0 New
Scottish Family 301 0.7 New
All for Unity 284 0.7 New
Independent Green Voice 218 0.5 New
Abolish the Scottish Parliament 151 0.4 New
Reform UK 103 0.3 New
Freedom Alliance (UK) 101 0.3 New
Scottish Libertarian 75 0.2 0.1
Restore Scotland 70 0.2 New
UKIP 52 0.1 1.9
Independent Laura Marshall 45 0.1 New
Independent Geoffrey Farquharson 18 0.0 New
Renew 9 0.0 New
Majority 1,889 4.6 12.2
Valid Votes 41,021 41,072
Invalid Votes 134 103
Turnout 41,155 64.3 9.8 41,175 64.3 8.7
SNP hold Swing 6.1
Notes
  1. ^ Incumbent member for this constituency

This was the largest Conservative vote share increase at the 2021 Scottish Parliament election.

2010s

2016 Scottish Parliament election: Aberdeenshire East[7]
Party Candidate Constituency Regional
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Gillian Martin 15,912 45.8 18.7 15,204 43.6 15.1
Conservative Colin Clark 10,075 29.0 15.1 10,706 30.7 16.7
Liberal Democrats Christine Jardine 6,611 19.0 5.0 4,079 11.7 1.2
Labour Sarah Flavell 2,155 6.2 1.4 2,244 6.4 0.9
Green 1,410 4.0 0.5
UKIP 720 2.1 1.2
Scottish Christian 214 0.6 0.0
Scottish Libertarian 84 0.2 New
National Front 65 0.2 0.0
Communist 58 0.2 New
Solidarity 58 0.2 0.1
RISE 39 0.1 New
Majority 5837 16.8 33.7
Valid Votes 34,753 34,881
Invalid Votes 107 39
Turnout 34,860 55.5 2.8 34,920 55.6 2.9
SNP hold Swing 16.9
2011 Scottish Parliament election: Aberdeenshire East[8][9]
Party Candidate Constituency Region
Votes % ±% Votes % ±%
SNP Alex Salmond[a] 19,533 64.5 N/A 17,795 58.7 N/A
Liberal Democrats Alison McInnes[a] 4,238 14.0 N/A 3,169 10.5 N/A
Conservative Geordie Stuart 4,211 13.9 N/A 4,225 14.0 N/A
Labour Peter Smyth 2,304 7.6 N/A 2,209 7.3 N/A
Green 1,374 4.5 N/A
All-Scotland Pensioners Party 407 1.3 N/A
Scottish Christian 192 0.6 N/A
UKIP 263 0.8 N/A
Socialist Labour 101 0.3 N/A
BNP 235 0.8 N/A
Scottish Socialist 84 0.3 N/A
National Front 62 0.2 N/A
Solidarity 12 0.0 N/A
Angus Independents 5 0.0 N/A
Independent John Cox 124 0.4 N/A
Independent David Henderson 28 0.1 N/A
Independent Andrew McBride 12 0.0 N/A
Majority 15,295 50.5 N/A
Valid Votes 30,286 30,297
Invalid Votes 81 77
Turnout 30,367 52.7 N/A 30,374 52.7 N/A
SNP win (new seat)
Notes
  1. ^ a b Incumbent member on the party list, or for another constituency

References

Citations

  1. ^ a b Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 25.
  2. ^ a b Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 140.
  3. ^ a b Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 28.
  4. ^ Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries: Report to Scottish Ministers, p 143.
  5. ^ "Declaration of regional votes cast in a constituency: Aberdeenshire East" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Declaration of constituency result: Aberdeenshire East" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. 8 May 2021. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Aberdeenshire East: Declaration of constituency result & Declaration of regional votes cast in a constituency" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Scottish Parliamentary Elections and Voting System Referendum 2011". Aberdeenshire Council. Retrieved 25 June 2021.
  9. ^ "Declaration of regional votes cast in a constituency: Aberdeenshire East" (PDF). Aberdeenshire Council. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 25 June 2021.

Bibliography

See also