Guidance for Returning Officers administering a Scottish Parliament election

Individual regional candidates 

Individual regional candidates may only use the description Independent or choose to stand without a description.1

Regional party list

Each regional party list must include the name of the registered party and, if desired, a description of that party which is registered with the Commission.2

The use of both the party name and any description must be authorised by the party’s Nominating Officer (or a person authorised to act on their behalf) through the submission of a certificate of authorisation from that party’s Nominating Officer (or a person authorised to act on their behalf).3

The form of the certificate of authorisation is prescribed.4 This allows the party to include the party name and a description (if desired), as stated on the certificate, on the nomination form.

The name of the party entered onto the certificate must be as registered with the Commission. Where the word Scottish is not part of the registered party name, the party name on the nomination paper can have the word Scottish included in front of it. If the party name registered starts with the word the, the word Scottish can be inserted after the word the on the nomination paper.5

The certificate of authorisation must be provided alongside the regional party list nomination form.6

If you are also the RRO you can check who the Nominating Officer for a particular party is by referring to the Commission’s register of political parties. However, as long as the person who has issued the certificate claims that they have been authorised to do so by the registered Nominating Officer, the certificate should be taken at face value.

A Nominating Officer may stand as a candidate. If this happens, the candidate, as Nominating Officer, may authorise their own description. A person authorised by the Nominating Officer to issue a certificate of authorisation may also be a candidate and sign a certificate for their own nomination.

A regional list cannot be submitted on behalf of more than one registered political party.

Examples

The Purple Party is the name of a registered political party. Provided they have submitted the necessary certificate of authorisation by the deadline, that party can use the following names on the nomination paper:

• The Purple Party
• The Scottish Purple Party

The Poll Party is the name of a registered political party. It also has a registered description which is Democracy via voting. Provided they have the necessary certificate of authorisation that party can use any of the following names and descriptions on the nomination paper:

• The Poll Party
• The Scottish Poll Party
• The Poll Party Democracy via voting
• The Scottish Poll Party Democracy via voting