Aberdeen South LD Hold

Scottish Parliament election

constituency

	Aberdeen South	LD Hold

	CANDIDATE	PARTY	VOTES	%	+/-%
	Nicol Stephen	LD	13821	45.9	+13.3
	Richard Baker	LAB	5805	19.3	-8.2
	Ian Duncan	CON	5230	17.4	-2.8
	Maureen Watt	SNP	4315	14.3	-4.8
	Keith Farnsworth	SSP	953	3.2	+3.2
		MAJORITY	8016	26.6
		TURNOUT	30124	51.8

ELECTORATE	30124

Top-up region: North East Scotland

DESCRIPTION: Aberdeen South

This seat includes Aberdeen’s southern suburbs and some more rural areas which used to be in the old Kincardine & Deeside seat. The southern part of the city contains many of its more affluent areas, some quite middle class in character. But there are also large council estates. The main employer is the oil industry, so its continuing downturn has hit the area hard.

This is one of only five seats to have been held by different parties at Holyrood and Westminster. Labour’s Anne Begg is the MP, while Liberal Democrat Nicol Stephen became the MSP in 1999. It has been a marginal in recent years. It was held by the Conservatives from 1918 until 1966 when a young Donald Dewar won it. The Tories regained it in 1970 and held it until Labour’s Frank Doran took it back in 1987. In 1992 it was the only Tory gain from Labour. Boundary changes in 1997 theoretically made it safer for the Tories, but their unpopularity meant Labour’s Anne Begg took it and the Lib Dems moved up to second place. Ms Begg increased her majority at the 2001 general election.

PREVIOUS RESULTS

	1999 SCOTTISH PARLIAMENT ELECTION		LD WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LD	11300	32.6
	LAB	9540	27.5
	CON	6993	20.2
	SNP	6651	19.2
	SWP	206	0.6

	2001 GENERAL ELECTION		LAB WIN
	PARTY	VOTES	%
	LAB	14696	39.8
	LD	10308	27.9
	CON	7098	19.2
	SNP	4293	11.6
	SSP	495	1.3