Four votes in it: not close enough for a recount says Scottish Returning Officer

A row has broken out following Scotland’s first council by-election since the introduction of STV after the Returning Officer decided four votes was not a small enough margin to warrant a recount.

The Aberdeen City Council seat was won by the SNP, but at one stage there were only four votes separating the Liberal Democrats and the Conservatives and analysis of the ballot papers shows that had the Liberal Democrats overtaken the Conservatives (rather than being eliminated) they would have gone on to win the seat.

“The Liberal Democrats were four votes away from a sensational by-election gain. We will be raising questions with the Returning Officer and with the Electoral Commission about the refusal to hold a recount. It is a poor result for Labour who had previously won a seat here but came fourth,” said Alison McInnes MSP.