THE full list of candidates competing for election on the regional lists for the Scottish Parliament Election on May 6 has now been published after nominations closed yesterday.

Voters in the majority of East Lothian will vote for candidates on the South Scotland list in addition to their East Lothian constituency vote for the county's next MSP – the East Lothian constituency candidates are listed here.

Those in the Musselburgh area will vote for candidates on the Lothian list, as well as for the next MSP for Midlothian North and Musselburgh in their constituency vote – the Midlothian North and Musselburgh constituency candidates are listed here.

Unlike the constituency vote, which uses the traditional First Past the Post voting system – whereby the candidate with the most votes wins – the regional list vote aims to ensure a level of proportional representation in Holyrood by making sure parties win a number of seats comparable to the percentage of the vote they receive.

The voting system divides Scotland into eight regions. The South Scotland region contains most of East Lothian and also encompasses the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, South Ayrshire, East Ayrshire, and parts of South Lanarkshire and Midlothian. The Lothian region includes the Musselburgh area, all of Edinburgh and West Lothian, and part of Midlothian.

A total of seven MSPs will be elected to each of the regional lists.

Each party has selected a ranked list of candidates, with those at the top of their party’s list most likely to be elected – for example, a party which wins three seats on the regional list will see the top three candidates on its list become MSPs.

The regional list candidates for South Scotland released this morning includes candidates from 16 parties: Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party, Alba Party, All for Unity, Freedom Alliance, Independent Green Voice, Reform UK, Scotia Future, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Scottish Family Party, Scottish Green Party, Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Libertarian Party, Scottish National Party (SNP), UK Independence Party (UKIP), and Vanguard Party.

The Conservatives list has 12 candidates, Scottish Greens nine, Labour and Lib Dems seven each, while the SNP has 12 candidates on its list.

Four candidates are standing for Alex Salmond’s new Alba Party: Cynthia Guthrie, Corri Wilson, Suzanne Blackley and Laurie Flynn.

There are two candidates for Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party and seven on the list for the All For Unity party, with former MP George Galloway at the top of the list.

The Freedom Alliance – against lockdown in Scotland – has four list candidates, while Independent Green Voice has listed a single candidate. The Independence for Scotland party has a candidate listed as having withdrawn from the race.

Michelle Ballantyne, who has been an MSP since 2017, leads the list for Reform UK, which has four list candidates, while former SNP MSP Chic Brodie is standing for Scotia Future.

The Scottish Family Party has five candidates on its list and the Scottish Libertarian Party is fielding one candidate.

UKIP is fielding five candidates and the Vanguard Party one.

The full list of South Scotland region candidates can be found at eastlothian.gov.uk/downloads/file/31236/south_scotland_region_notice_of_poll

Among parties fielding candidates for the Lothian region list are the Animal Welfare Party, Communist Party of Britain, and Scottish Women’s Equality Party.

Kenny MacAskill, current East Lothian MP, heads the Alba Party list for Lothian.

In total there are 18 parties represented on the Lothian list, plus one independent candidate.

The 18 parties are: Abolish the Scottish Parliament Party, Alba Party, All For Unity, Animal Welfare Party, Communist Party of Britain, Freedom Alliance, Reform UK, Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party, Scottish Family Party, Scottish Green Party, Scottish Labour Party, Scottish Liberal Democrats, Scottish Libertarian Party, Scottish National Party (SNP). Scottish Renew, Scottish Women’s Equality Party, Social Democratic Party, and UK Independence Party (UKIP).

The full list of Lothian region candidates can be found at www.midlothian.gov.uk/election