THE SNP have lost two Edinburgh council seats after being beaten by the Scottish Greens and Labour in separate results.
In the Craigmillar/Portobello contest, Scottish Greens candidate Lorenzo Martinico topped the poll ahead of SNP candidate Silas McGilvray. Labour’s Jim Patrick Wyke was third.
The by-election was triggered after former councillor Kate Campbell was elected an MSP in May.
In the Southside/Newington ward, Labour’s Ruth Elliott won, while the Scottish Greens’ Isabella Gastel Alejandre was second and the SNP’s Sam Alexander Mackenzie finished third.
This by-election was triggered after former councillor Simita Kumar was also elected in May.
The Craigmillar/Portobello (Ward 17) by-election results
- Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens): 1781
- Silas McGilvray (Scottish National Party (SNP)): 1531
- Jim Patrick Wyke (Scottish Labour Party): 1413
- Andrew McLaughlin (Reform UK): 569
- Haris Young (Scottish Conservative and Unionist): 522
- Liss Owen (Scottish Liberal Democrats): 365
- Niel Deepnarain (Scottish Family Party – Christian Values): 73
- Pete Gregson (Workers Party of Britain): 58
- David Craig Ballantine (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom): 28
- Peter Olech (Communist Party of Britain): 22
The Southside/Newington (Ward 15) by-election results
- Ruth Elliott (Scottish Labour Party): 2153
- Isabella Gastel Alejandre (Scottish Greens): 1978
- Sam Alexander Mackenzie (Scottish National Party (SNP)): 757
- Nick Layden (Scottish Conservative and Unionist): 717
- Artie Khovanov (Scottish Liberal Democrats): 543
- Neil, Gary (Reform UK): 305
- Markham Rowbotham (Edinburgh & East Lothian People): 78
- Roisin Keirdashian (Independent): 63
- Richard Crewe Lucas (Scottish Family Party – Christian Values): 38
- Richard Shillcock (Communist Party of Britain): 46
- Sean McGregor Moffat (Alliance for Democracy and Freedom): 12
- Derrick Emms (Edinburgh & East Lothian People): 9
- Mark Wilkinson (Edinburgh & East Lothian People): 7
The turnout was 6741 votes (27.3%) in Southside/Newington and 6427 votes (22.9%) in Craigmillar/Portobello.
Depute returning officer for the City of Edinburgh Chris Highcock said: “I would like to welcome Councillors Elliot and Martinico into their new roles and wish them all the best as they begin serving their wards.
“My thanks goes to everyone who took part in these by-elections, alongside our elections team and council colleagues, who have been working hard behind the scenes over the last few months.”
