Stevenson Re-Selected by Local Members to Stand for Holyrood

Banffshire & Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has been re-selected to stand as the SNP’s candidate in next year’s Scottish Parliament elections.

Local party members endorsed Mr Stevenson as their candidate for the constituency in a process which saw all of them being consulted on who they wanted as their candidate.

Stewart Stevenson was elected as MSP for Banffshire & Buchan Coast with over 67% of the vote in the 2011 election. Prior to that, he had represented the former Banff & Buchan constituency – which had radically different boundaries – since 2001.

Commenting, Mr Stevenson said:

“It has been an enormous privilege to serve the people of the Banffshire & Buchan Coast Scottish Parliament Constituency, and I am very grateful to the local party members for their endorsement.

“The SNP now has over 1400 members in the constituency and each and every one of them were given the opportunity to be involved in the process.

"The SNP’s structures are based on one-member, one-vote and, unlike some other political parties for whom democracy seems to be causing some problems, SNP members have the opportunity to vote for candidates, national officials, elect the committee that sets conference agendas, shape policy and speak on issues at our conferences.

“I believe that involvement is key to the SNP’s success and I am keen to develop further how we engage with our members.

“I’m looking forward to meeting with as many people as possible between now and the election and I know that the SNP’s team of activists locally are keen to get started. In the meantime, it’s business as usual for me with Parliament resuming this week and a round of surgeries later in September."