ALBA’S leadership election is to be reviewed in an attempt to quash accusations briefed to the media that the vote was “rigged”.
Last month, Kenny MacAskill was elected the new leader of the Alba Party after a months-long race to replace the late Alex Salmond.
MacAskill, who had been the party’s acting leader during the contest, narrowly beat MSP Ash Regan by 1331 votes to 1212.
In a concurrent race to be Alba depute leader, former MP Neale Hanvey beat former party general secretary Chris McEleny by 1897 votes to 540.
The results were swiftly followed by a threat of legal action by McEleny, who claimed his removal from the paid general secretary position in January had been “unlawful”.
In the days that followed and amid claims on social media, an “insider” in Alba told the Scottish Sun that they believed the election had been unfair.
“There are questions as to whether the whole vote was rigged,” they said.
Now, in an internal message shared with The National, the leadership election’s returning officer, Mike MacKenzie, has hit out at the allegations which he branded “misinformation”.
MacKenzie said he would compile a full report on the vote, including all communications he had with candidates in the elections, for the National Executive Committee to conduct a review.
“The purpose of the report is to allow the National Executive Committee to review the process thoroughly in order to evaluate whether or not any changes would need to be made for future elections.
“Unfortunately this last weekend has seen several Alba Party members who were part of one candidate’s election team, make false accusations regarding the conduct of the elections on social media.
“Among the accusations are assertions that issues raised by a particular candidate with myself as returning officer were ignored. In light of this, I have decided that all communication between myself and candidates throughout the election will be included in my final report to the National Executive Committee.
“I will also be recommending to the National Executive Committee that my report be made public for all Alba Party members to view on the website.”
MacKenzie added: “I have not taken this decision lightly but I do not believe it would be right to allow the spread of misinformation on social media to go unaddressed.
“My report will be thorough and factual. It will cover every aspect of the election and will allow members to be confident in the legitimacy of the process.
“I will leave it in the hands of the National Executive Committee to decide as to whether the report should be made available to all members.”
An Alba spokesperson said: "The Alba Party appreciates the work of the returning officer in overseeing the internal elections and compiling a report for the National Executive Committee.
"The NEC will review the report and consider any recommendations to ensure the continued integrity of future election processes.
"We remain committed to transparency and fairness, and the NEC will determine all appropriate next steps as they deem necessary."
When she stood for the SNP leadership in 2023, Regan made headlines after suggesting that the contest was stacked against her.
“In the interest of transparency and fairness, ALL campaigns must get clarity on the number of SNP members voting in this contest,” she wrote on social media.
In a letter which was also signed by Kate Forbes’s campaign, the MSP said the SNP had a responsibility “to ensure that the leadership election process is transparent, fair, and equitable”.
