Scottish Greens targeting Nicola Sturgeon’s seat for first-ever constituency win

Scottish Greens are hoping to return their first-ever constituency MSP in next year’s Holyrood election – with the party targeting the seat currently held by former first minister Nicola Sturgeon.

Local councillor Holly Bruce has been selected as the Green candidate to fight the Glasgow Southside constituency – which Ms Sturgeon has represented since 2011.

It comes as the former SNP leader prepares to step down from Holyrood after being an MSP since the devolved assembly began in 1999.

Greens hope her departure will boost their campaign, allowing them to return their first -ver constituency MSP.

Under Holyrood’s proportional representation system, all of the Green MSPs so far have been elected via the regional list.

Having been selected as the candidate, Bruce said she was “excited to be the Scottish Green voice in the Southside constituency”.

She said: “I have worked hard as a councillor for Langside for the past three years to build a better community and now I can’t wait to be the voice of change across our great communities in the constituency.”

Bruce added that Greens are “standing to make a change for the people of Southside and for Scotland”.

She told voters in the area: “As your candidate for Glasgow Southside, I will always put people and planet before corporate greed, I will fight back against the millionaires who are pushing racist anti-migrant narratives and I will call out the horrific genocide in Gaza.”

Patrick Harvie, former Scottish Green co-leader and the party’s longest-serving MSP, said Bruce had “achieved one of the best-ever results for the Greens in Glasgow, winning her council ward on first preferences in 2022”.

He added: “Since then, she’s been a great voice for the local community and I have no doubt that she’ll be a fantastic candidate for the constituency.

“Green support in Glasgow Southside has been growing steadily in recent years and we’re looking forward to the campaign for Holyrood, in Southside, across Glasgow and throughout the country.”