FIRST Minister Nicola Sturgeon has hailed a “seismic” result for the SNP in Glasgow.
Nicola Sturgeon’s party had two councillors elected in the Pollokshields ward of Glasgow City Council, while Tory councillor David Meikle – the husband of former MP Natalie McGarry – lost his seat.
Sturgeon said on Twitter: “National/city trends aside, this result is seismic. For years, Pollokshields was the only Tory seat in Glasgow and it seemed we would never take it.
"Congrats to Norman MacLeod and (Norman won’t mind this) especially to Zen Ghani - he’s a v talented young guy and I’m so proud of him."
National/city trends aside, this result is seismic. For years, Pollokshields was the only Tory seat in Glasgow and it seemed we would never take it. Congrats to @SNPNorman and (Norman won’t mind this) especially to @ZenGhani - he’s a v talented young guy and I’m so proud of him. https://t.co/TuwBo6hd34
— Nicola Sturgeon (@NicolaSturgeon) May 6, 2022
One of the SNP leader's allies in Glasgow, Mhairi Hunter, did not win her race for a seat.
Hunter tweeted: "Well I didn't expect today to go like this. A combination of Green & Alba votes leaves me no longer a councillor. Pretty ironic really. Still, more time to campaign for independence. Onwards & upwards."
In response, Sturgeon wrote: "Very proud of @MhairiHunter – she’s been a brilliant councillor and made a real difference in the ward. STV can be cruel at times. Congrats to her running mate Alexander Belic and of course to new councillor Elaine Gallagher."
Elsewhere in the city, leader Susan Aitken was overtaken by the Scottish Greens on first preference votes in the Langside ward.
New candidate Holly Bruce topped the ballot with 3173 first preference votes, while the SNP’s Aitken received 2899.
Bruce said she is proud of her party’s “positive campaign”, adding she is “thrilled that the people of Langside have put their trust in me to represent them for the next five years”.
Aitken said she is delighted to have been voted in as a councillor once again, but spoke of her disappointment that her colleague David Turner had lost his seat in the Shettleston ward.
“These things happen in elections,” she said.
Shettleston’s results saw two Labour councillors voted in at the expense of the SNP, while Scottish Conservative Thomas Kerr retained his position.
Aitken suggested the co-operation agreement between the SNP and the Greens at Holyrood may have led to the result in her ward.
Meanwhile, leader of the Glasgow Labour group Malcolm Cunning was voted in on first preference in the Linn ward.
Cunning said the results indicate the people of Glasgow are seeking change in their council, adding the city under the SNP’s leadership had become a “mess”.
He said: “I have absolutely no doubt that the city wants change. I have seen throughout the election there is a particularly Glasgow phenomenon going on and that is about the state of the city. That is about the rubbish in our streets, bin collections missed, potholes, and simple mess that the city has developed over the last five years.”
But he predicted the SNP and Labour would be “very close together” by the end of the day.
Roza Salih has become one of the first refugees to win an election in Scotland, gaining a place as a councillor for the Greater Pollok ward.
Salih, who was part of the Glasgow Girls campaign against deportation in 2005, came to Scotland with her family after fleeing Iraq as a young girl.
She said she hopes her win on Friday will inspire other refugees to put themselves forward for future elections.
“The Glasgow people have always welcomed me,” Salih said. “This just shows that.
“I’ve never given up, and now they’ve trusted in me.”
“I can’t believe it. Twenty years ago I came to this country as a refugee, and to think back I would never have imagined to serve my city.”
