GILLIAN Martin has been re-elected as SNP MSP for Aberdeenshire East.
Martin won with a majority of 1889 over the Tory candidate Stewart Whyte, after a tense overnight wait for the results.
Counting was stopped on Friday night to give staff a break after almost 12 hours of shuffling through ballots, which Martin described as an “excruciating” wait.
READ MORE: LIVE: All the news from the Scottish Parliament election as seats are declared
But, this morning the seat was declared with Martin winning with 18,307 total votes and securing her re-election.
Speaking to The National after her acceptance speech, where she made an emotional thank you to her dad, Martin said: “I’m feeling quite emotional actually, obviously had a wait overnight, it was dreadful, it was excruciating and not being able to really sample boxes but we’re here, I’m glad for my staff, I’m glad for my party and I’m relieved for my family who have had a really sleepless night last night. I’m relieved and I’m happy.
“My dad’s out there in the hall and he was chapping on doors when the SNP got laughed at so it was a big moment in 2016 but to be reelected is probably more special I think.”
Looking ahead to the next parliamentary term, Martin said she was concerned about the oil and gas industry and the future of young people in the area.
She said: “I think the main priority is making sure we don’t lose any more jobs as much as possible, we have to have Aberdeenshire and the North East at the heart of the green recovery. I come from a family, again another family emotional moment, we come from an industrial area in Clydebank and there was no just transition for the people that worked in John Brown shipyards, so I feel it’s a real personal mission of mine that the people of the North East who have relied on oil and gas for so many years are not left behind, and that’s my core, central mission going forward.
“I also meant what I said about young people, they’ve had a terrible year, and we need to put their welfare front and centre of everything we do, so those two things are the most important to me.
“But ofcourse, asking an SNP person what drives them the way to get that just transition, the way to have that green recovery and the way to secure Scotland’s economic health is to have all the levers and all the powers of a normal independent country.
"So when this pandemic is over and we’re in a fit state to actually have a referendum, I will be working every single minute of every single day to make that reality.”
READ MORE: LIVE Scottish Parliament election tracker: Maps and charts show results so far
And as the election results start to come in through the day, Martin said she was confident the next parliament would have a pro-independence majority.
She said: “I hope we have a majority, but it certainly looks that we’re on course for a pro-independence majority, and actually that’s the most important thing, because if the Greens get the numbers that we hope they will and the SNP get the numbers that we hope we will, then that’s a very strong message to send to the people of Scotland and I can see pro-independence people working together because that’s what the people of Scotland will have chosen.”
Full results for Aberdeenshire East:
Gillian Martin - SNP -18,307
Stewart Whyte - Tory -16,418
Graeme Downie - Labour -2900
Conrad Wood - Lib Dem - 3396
Winner: Gillian Martin
Majority: 1189
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here