Aberdeen Donside by-election: polls open

The Holyrood by-election is taking place following the death of Scottish National Party (SNP) MSP Brian Adam who died in April from cancer.

Bookmakers have made SNP candidate Mark McDonald the strong favourite to win the seat.

Mr McDonald, a former North East regional MSP who stood down from the Scottish Parliament to contest the by-election, is being given odds of 1/33 by William Hill which put Labour at 10/1 and the Conservatives, Greens, Liberal Democrats and the UK Independence Party (Ukip) all at 150/1.

If the SNP loses the seat, it would be a blow to First Minister Alex Salmond and his party in the run-up to next year’s independence referendum.

If the Nationalists fail to win it would also mean Mr Salmond’s party would lose its overall majority at Holyrood.

Mr Adam’s death left the SNP with 64 MSPs - one short of the 65 required for a majority in the 129-seat Scottish Parliament.

Mr McDonald pledged that, if elected, his first act as MSP for Donside would be to demand a meeting with Aberdeen City Council leaders over their school closure plans.

An SNP victory is “vital” to the future of schools in the area, he said.

“The closure plans are wrong on educational grounds and must be opposed for the sake of the children attending these schools,” he said.

Labour candidate Willie Young, already a city councillor in Aberdeen, said a vote for his party would show that “the people of Donside don’t support the SNP’s main policy of breaking up Britain”.

Meanwhile Tory candidate Ross Thomson, another member of Aberdeen City Council, said the by-election is “about electing a local champion”.

He said: “I know the issues that matter to people locally and I know what to do about them.”

Christine Jardine, contesting the seat for the Liberal Democrats, said she would “fight to stop the SNP short-changing Aberdeen”, if elected, claiming the city suffers from an “unfair” funding settlement.

Nine candidates are standing for election in Aberdeen Donside.

The Scottish Green Party is fielding local campaigner Rhonda Reekie, the Ukip candidate is Otto Inglis, the Scottish National Front candidate is David MacDonald, the Scottish Christian Party is standing Tom Morrow and the Scottish Democratic Alliance candidate is James Trolland.