The results of the Southside/Newington (Ward 15) and Portobello/Craigmillar (Ward 17) by-elections have been announced at Waverley Court.
Ruth Elliot (Scottish Labour Party) and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) have been duly elected to serve in the City of Edinburgh Council for Ward 15 and Ward 17 respectively. Ruth Elliot received 2,153 votes, and Lorenzo Martinico (Scottish Greens) received 1,781 votes.
The turnout was 6,741 votes (27.3%) in Ward 15 and 6,427 votes (22.9%) in Ward 17.
The declaration was made in the early hours of this morning (Friday 4 September) by Depute Returning Officer for the City of Edinburgh, Chris Highcock.
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.”
SCOTTISH GREENS HAIL HISTORIC BY-ELECTION WIN
Portobello housing campaigner Lorenzo Martinico has made history by becoming the first Scottish Green to win a council by-election in the City of Edinburgh.
Lorenzo is a local housing campaigner and was previously a postdoctoral researcher at Edinburgh University, specialising in computer security and digital privacy.
Reacting to the result, Scottish Greens co-leader Ross Greer MSP said: “This is a truly historic day for Edinburgh and the Scottish Greens. For the first time ever our capital has elected a Scottish Green councillor at a by-election, showing the failing Labour administration that Edinburgh demands better.
“By electing Lorenzo, voters in Portobello/Craigmillar have demanded radical change in Scotland’s capital. Just a few months ago, Greens won our first ever Holyrood constituency here in the heart of the city. This result confirms that we are fighting to win next May’s council elections in Edinburgh.”
“I know that Lorenzo will make a huge difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar. He will push to deliver urgently needed rent controls, tackle the climate emergency, and build a more affordable Edinburgh.”
Edinburgh Green Group co-convenor and fellow Portobello/Craigmillar councillor, Cllr Alys Mumford said: “Portobello-Craigmillar is now the first ward in Edinburgh to be represented by two Green Councillors, and residents there will benefit hugely from Lorenzo being their new local Councillor.
Alys added: “We’d like to congratulate Lorenzo on his election and also pay tribute to Isabella, who narrowly missed out on securing our second by-election win in Southside/Newington, but whose vote share increase reflects a growing desire for change.
“Green volunteers and activists ran a fantastic campaign across both wards and the results show that our message of hope is resonating with the people of Edinburgh.”
Lorenzo Martinico, the newly-elected Green councillor for Portobello/Craigmillar, said: “I am really honoured that my neighbours in Portobello/Craigmillar have chosen me to represent them as their councillor.
“I would like to thank the hundreds of Scottish Greens volunteers and supporters who have spent the last two months campaigning for us, securing our first by-election wins in the city.
“It’s been an honour to be part of such a positive and energetic campaign. When I first moved to Edinburgh, I could never have imagined I would be elected as a councillor.
“There are thousands of people like me who weren’t born here but have chosen to make Edinburgh their home – I hope my election gives them a bit of hope, at a time when some in our community feel unsafe because of how they sound when they speak, because of the colour of their skin or their religion.
“I am looking forward to working to make a difference for the people of Portobello/Craigmillar.”
Full details of the results are available on the Council website.