Scottish Green Party flags on a demonstration

Members of the Scottish Green Party will be voting for new co-leaders this summer. Whatever happens, the party will be electing at least one new co-leader, as Patrick Harvie has announced that he won’t be standing for re-election.

With 8 MSPs, there’s a good number of parliamentarians who could throw their hat in the ring, alongside a number of other high profile activists.

Some have already publicly confirmed their intention to stand. Here’s a rundown of who’s in the running.

Lorna Slater

Lorna Slater is one of the party’s current co-leaders. First elected to the post in 2019, she has served in the post alongside Patrick Harvie. Since 2021 she has also been an MSP for the Lothian region.

Despite Harvie announcing he’s not standing for re-election, Slater has confirmed her intention to go for the role again. In a video responding to Harvie’s decision not to restand, Slater said: “I’ll be standing for co-leader again when the party votes for a new leadership team to take us into next year’s Scottish elections.”

Gillian Mackay

Gillian Mackay was elected as an MSP at the 2021 Holyrood elections, representing the Central Scotland region. Since, she’s been a prominent campaigning MSP, not least for her work in securing buffer zones outside health centres which provide abortions.

Announcing her candidacy, Mackay said:  “At a time when politics is dominated by the egos of men, it is all the more important we have women with big voices and ideas in politics.”

Image credit: Ric Lander – Creative Commons