Alba members demand ’emergency ballot’ to decide if party contests May election

Leading figures in the Alba Party want an emergency ballot to be held to decide if the party should field candidates in May’s Holyrood election.

Members of the so-called Alba Continuation Group – who want to be able to field candidates on the regional list vote for the Scottish Parliament – are seeking a “democratic process” to determine the party’s fate.

It comes after leader Kenny MacAskill told members at the weekend Alba is unlikely to contest the election, and that the party’s registration may lapse due to its “perilous financial state”.

But senior figures in the party – including former SNP MP Angus MacNeil, ex-Solidarity leader Tommy Sheridan and Christina Hendry, the niece of Alba founder Alex Salmond – want members to decide if Alba contests the upcoming election.

In a statement, they said they want the party’s 4,000 members to be able to participate in an emergency ballot, opening on Friday at noon and closing at 6pm on Saturday.

This would determine if “Alba fights” or “Alba folds”, with the group insisting they will “honour whatever the membership decides”.

They said the party’s HQ “must facilitate this democratic process”.

In response, an Alba Party spokesperson said: “Any change in the leadership of the Alba Party would require a democratic mandate and constitutional authority. Neither of which currently exists for those seeking to assume control of the party.”

They added that Alba’s 2024 accounts were in the process of being signed off by the auditor and the party treasurer, and would be lodged with the Electoral Commission “shortly”.

The spokesperson said: “They will confirm the perilous financial position the party is in as a result of a fraud we believe has been perpetrated upon it and which has been reported to, and is now being investigated by, the relevant authorities.

“Any final decisions on the future of the Alba Party will be taken by the elected office bearers and NEC of the party following further discussions with the Electoral Commission.”

Police Scotland received a complaint about irregularities in the Alba Party’s finances in May 2025.

In an email to members on Saturday, Mr MacAskill set out a number of difficulties being experienced by Alba, adding that he expects matters around the police investigation into the finances to “progress further shortly”.

Adding that the party’s “financial position remains acute”, the former Scottish justice secretary said Alba is no longer able to meet requirements to file accounts to the Electoral Commission, meaning “fighting an election is simply beyond our resources”.