Candidates and Constituency Assessments

'By finishing top of the list, Mr Stephen is not guaranteed a seat if he loses his constituency. But a good election showing for the Lib Dems would make it unlikely he would not be returned to Holyrood.' Press & Journal, 6 th July 2006.

Aberdeen South (North East Scotland Region)

Candidates

	David Davidson MSP (Also number 3 on North East Scotland list)
	Conservative & Unionist
	David Davidson was born in Edinburgh on the 25 th January 1943 and educated at Trinity Academy in Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh where he graduated as a Pharmacist with a MRPharmS, and Manchester Business School where he obtained a DipBA. He worked as the Manager of a Community Pharmacy from 1966 to 1969 and as a proprieter from 1969 until 1993. He worked for Unichem Ltd as an advisor from 1975 until 1979, as Director from 1979 until 1990 and as Regional Chairman from 1990 until 1993. From 1990 to 2000 he worked in mixed farming. He was a Stirling Councillor from 1995 until 1999 when he was elected as a the first North East Scotland regional MSP, and was re-elected in first place again in 2003. He also contested Banff & Buchan in 1999 and Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine in 2003, coming second each time. He is married with five grown-up children, a Christian, and a member of the National Farmers Union Scotland and the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. He was appointed Tory Health Spokesman after the 2003 election but resigned in January 2005 for personal reasons. When Annanel Goldie became leader she appointed him Transport & Local Government Spokesman. In In the parliament he is currently Convenor of the Justice 2 Committee. Tory Party positions May 1999 - May 2003 - Deputy Spokesman on Economy, Industry & Finance May 2003 - 31 st January 2005 - Health Spokesman November 2005 - Transport & Local Government Spokesman Recent electoral experience. 2003 Scottish parliament election, Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine, 9,154 votes (28.94 %) 2003 Scottish parliament election, First on Tory North East Scotland list, 42,318 votes (17.37 %) (elected) 1999 Scottish parliament election, Banff & Buchan, 5,403 votes (17.03 %) 1999 Scottish parliament election, First on Tory North East Scotland list, 52,149 votes (18.27 %) (elected) 1995 Stirling Council election, Trossachs, 602 votes (37.46 %) (elected)
	Rami Okasha (Not standing on North East Scotland list)
	Labour
	Rami Okasha is aged 27 and was born in Dundee, lived in Ireland and graduated from the University of Aberdeen with a first class degree in English with Linguistics. He currently works for the Educational Institute of Scotland, the country's largest teaching union. While a student in Aberdeen, he won the City of Aberdeen Prize and was twice winner of the John Smith Memorial Mace for Debating, and represented Aberdeen in the World Debating Championships. Rami is a former President of the National Union of Students in Scotland, representing over 500,000 students in further and higher education. He enjoys cooking, reading and swimming. Recent electoral experience 2005 Westminster election, Banff & Buchan, 4,476 votes (12.03 %)
	Nicol Stephen MSP (Also number 1 on North East Scotland list)
	Liberal Democrat
	Nicol Stephen was born on the 23 rd March 1960 in Aberdeen and educated at Robert Gordon's College in Aberdeen, Aberdeen University where he graduated with an LLB and Edinburgh University where he obtained a Dip. Legal Practice. From 1981 to 1983 he worked as a Trainee solicitor with C & P H Chalmers and from 1983 to 1988 as a Solicitor with Milne & Mackinnon. From 1988 to 1991 he was Senior Manager for Touche Ross Corporate Finance. and from 1992 to 1999 the Director of Glassbox Ltd. In November 1991 he won Kincardine & Deeside from the Tories with an 11.4 % swing. This meant the governing Tory party were the thrd party in Scotland in terms of numbers of MPs. However, the Tories recoverd in 1992 and Stephen's 7,824 majority over the Conservatives was turned into a 4,495 Tory majority - more than twice what it had been at the 1987 election. In 1997, Nicol Stephen contested Aberden South, pushing the Tories, who had held the seat, into third place, and went on to win the Scottish parliamentary seat in 1999 and increase his majority in 2003. Surprisingly, Stephen did not get a ministerial post in 1999, with the second Lib Dem position being given to the relatively unknown Ross Finnie (aka 'Captain Mainwaring'). In 2003 Stephen was made Minister for Transport, but contined to be paid a Deputy Minister's salary. In June 2005, following the retiral of Jim Wallace, he stood as Scot Lib Dem leader, polling 2,108 votes (76.6 %) compared to 642 (23.4 %) for Aberdeenshire West & Kindcardine MSP Mike Rumbles. Since June 2005 he has replaced Jim Wallace as Deputy Fist Minister. On the 16 th September 2006, he declared that the Liberal Democrats will never permit the break up of the United Kingdom, even if that is the clear wish of the majority of the Scottish people. In November 2006, the Sunday Herald revealed that Nicol Stephen was claiming £748 a month in interest payments on a house which he only half owns. Party positions June 2005 - Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Ministerial positions May 1999 - October 2000 - Deputy Minister for Enterprise & Lifelong Learning October 2000 - November 2001 - Deputy Minister for Education, Europe & External Affairs November 2001 - April 2003 - Deputy Minister for Education & Young People May 2003 - June 2005 - Minister for Transport June 2005 - Minister for Enterprise & Lifelong Learning June 2005 - Deputy First Minister Recent electoral experience 2003 Scottish parliament election, Aberdeen South, 13,821 votes (45.88 %) (elected) 2003 Scottish parliament election, First on Lib Dem North East Scotland list, 45,831 votes (18.81 %) 1999 Scottish parliament election, Aberdeen South, 11,300 votes (32.57 %) (elected) 1999 Scottish parliament election, First on Lib Dem North East Scotland list, 49,843 votes (17.46 %) 1997 Westminster election, Aberdeen South, 12,176 votes (27.63 %) 1992 Westminster election, Kincardine & Deeside, 18,429 votes (35.13 %) (defeated) 1991 Westminster by-election, Kincardine & Deeside, 20,779 votes (49.02 %) (elected) 1990 Grampian Regional Council election, Craigton, 2,196 votes (54.44 %) (elected) 1987 Westminster election, Kincardine & Deeside, 17,375 votes (36.34 %) 1986 Grampian Regional Council election, (elected)
	Maureen Watt MSP (Also number 3 on North East Scotland list)
	Scottish National Party
	Maureen was born in Aberdeen, brought up in Keith, and gained an Honours Degree in Politics at Strathclyde and a Post Graduate Certificate in Education at Birmingham. After teaching in Berkshire she joined an international oil drilling company in Aberdeen as Personnel Manager. Maureen has served on Aberdeen Prison Visiting Committee, been Rectors Assessor at Aberdeen University, a Community Business board member, and a Grampian Region Councillor. Maureen was also a member of the Macintosh Commission and Kerley Committee into the reform of local government and is currently an Independent Assessor of Public Appointments. She is the daughter of Hamish Watt, the SNP MP for Banff between 1974 and 1979 and joined the SNP at the age of 21. She fought Aberdeen North in 1979, Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine in 1999 and Aberdeen South in 2003. She was sworne in as a North East MSP on the 19 th April 2006, replacing Richard Lochhead who had resigned to fight the Moray by-election following the death of Margaret Ewing. She made history as the first MSP to take the oath of allegiance in Doric. In the parliament she is a Member of the Local Government and Transport Committee and aÊSubstitute Member of the Subordinate Legislation Committee. Shadow Ministerial positions Recent electoral experience 2005 Westminster parliament election, Aberdeen South, 4,120 votes (9.90 %) 2003 Scottish parliament election, Aberdeen South, 4,315 votes (14.32 %) 2003 Scottish parliament election, Sixth on SNP North East Scotland list, 66,463 votes (27.28 %) (replaced Richard Lochhead on 19/4/2006) 1999 Scottish parliament election, Aberdeenshire West & Kincardine, 7,699 votes (21.54 %) 1999 Scottish parliament election, Eighth on SNP North East Scotland list list, 92,329 votes (32.35 %) 1995 Aberdeen City Council election, Granitehill, 665 votes (42.55 %) 1994 Grampian Regional Council election, Northfield East, 1,641 votes (54.28 %) (elected) 1990 Grampian Regional Council election, Northfield East, 974 votes (45.75 %) 1979 Westminster parliament election, Aberdeen North, 5,796 votes (12.8 %)

Constituency profile

Assessment:

This assessment is based on the 2003 election results

Rank on Labour hit list: 16 (3 in 2003)
Swing required for Labour gain: 13.31 % from Liberal Democrat to Labour

Rank on Conservative hit list: 35 (11 in 2003)
Swing required for Conservative gain: 14.26 % from Liberal Democrat to Conservative

Rank on Scottish National Party hit list: 53 (19 in 2003)
Swing required for Scottish National Party gain: 15.78 % from Liberal Democrat to Scottish National Party

Correlation to the new Westminster constituencies

The electorate of 59,290 was split between the new Westminster constituencies of:
Aberdeen South 58,562 (98.8 %)
Aberdeen North 728 (1.2 %)

Local Government wards in the constituency

Previous results

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Electorate 58,204. Turnout 30,124, 51.76 % (- 5.51 %)
Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrat	Nicol Stephen MSP	13,821	45.88 %	+ 13.31 %
	Labour	Richard Baker	5,805	19.27 %	- 8.23 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Ian Duncan	5,230	17.36 %	- 2.80 %
	Scottish National Party	Maureen Watt	4,315	14.32 %	- 4.85 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	Keith Farnsworth	953	3.16 %	(+ 3.16 %)
	Liberal Democrat hold	Liberal Democrat majority	8,016	26.61 %	21.54 %

1 st May 2003 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Electorate 58,204. Turnout 30,124, 51.66 % 150 rejected ballot papers
Logo	Party	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrats	9,440	31.39 %	+ 8.82 %
	Labour	5,946	19.77 %	- 7.80 %
	Conservative & Unionist	5,593	18.60 %	- 1.96 %
	Scottish National Party	4,625	15.38 %	- 8.55 %
	Scottish Green Party	1,694	5.63 %	+ 2.75 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	1,128	3.75 %	2.97 %
	The Fishing Party	665	2.21 %	(+ 2.21 %)
	Pensioners's Party	523	1.74 %	(+ 1.74 %)
	UK Independence Party	270	0.90 %	(+ 0.90 %)
	Socialist Labour Party	217	0.72 %	- 0.22 %
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	67	0.22 %	(+ 0.22 %)
	Steven Mathers	147	0.49 %	(+ 0.49 %)
	Liberal Democrat majority	3,494	13.10 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Constituency result

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%	% change
	Liberal Democrat	Nicol Stephen	11,300	32.57 %	+ 4.94 %
	Labour	Mike Elrick	9,540	27.50 %	- 7.77 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Nanette Milne	6,993	20.16 %	- 6.21 %
	Scottish National Party	Irene McGugan	6,651	19.17 %	+ 9.41 %
	Socialist Workers Party	Scott Sutherland	206	0.59 %	+ 0.59 %
	Liberal Democrat win (notional Liberal Democrat gain from Labour)	Liberal Democrat majority	1,760	5.07 %

6 th May 1999 Holyrood Election - Regional list result

Logo	Party	Votes	%
	Labour	9,539	27.57 %
	Scottish National Party	8,281	23.93 %
	Liberal Democrats	7,809	22.57 %
	Conservative & Unionist Party	7,114	20.56 %
	Scottish Green Party	995	2.88 %
	Socialist Labour Party	324	0.94 %
	Scottish Socialist Party	270	0.78 %
	Sleaze Buster	105	0.30 %
	Hamish Watt	99	0.29 %
	Natural Law Party	65	0.19 %
	Labour majority	1,258	3.64 %

1 st May 1997 Westminster Election

Logo	Party	Candidate	Votes	%
	Labour	Anne Begg	15,541	35.27 %
	Liberal Democrat	Nichol Stephen	12,176	27.63 %
	Conservative & Unionist	Raymond Robertson MP	11,621	26.37 %
	Scottish National Party	Jim Towers	4,299	9.76 %
	Referendum	Ric Wharton	425	0.96 %
	Labour gain from Conservative	Labour majority	3,365	7.64 %

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