The Scottish Green Party has had a “generational shift” with MSPs Ross Greer and Gillian Mackay elected as its new co-leaders.
The pair replace Patrick Harvie – who was co-leader since 2008 – and Lorna Slater, both of whom served as junior ministers in the Scottish Government when the Greens had a powersharing deal with the SNP.
Mr Harvie announced earlier this year he was stepping down as co-leader, with Ms Slater – who was a co-leader for six years – ousted from the position in the contest, which is held by the Greens every two years.
The election sees Mr Greer, 31, and Ms Mackay, 33, take over at the helm of the party.
A new era. 💚
— Scottish Greens (@scottishgreens) August 29, 2025
Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer
Scottish Green Co-Leaders pic.twitter.com/okFq8BoQ4U
Speaking after the results were announced in Edinburgh on Friday, Ms Mackay said: “Today marks a generational shift in the leadership of the Scottish Greens.”
She vowed she and Mr Greer will “lead with courage and listen with intent”, putting party members “at the heart of our movement”.
Mr Greer said he is “excited to be embarking on this journey as co-leader” with his “friend” Ms Mackay.
She won 34% of first preference votes, and was elected at stage one of the ballot.
Mr Greer gained 31% of first preference votes, ahead of Ms Slater on 28% and Green activist Dominic Ashmole, who polled 7%.
Mr Greer was elected at the third stage of the ballot, with 33.4% of votes, ahead Ms Slater, who had 32%.
But just 950 votes were cast from a membership believed to be around 7,000 – prompting both new leaders to suggest a probe to discover why turnout was so low.
Speaking to the PA news agency, Mr Greer said the party should “take seriously” any opportunity to affect change after next year’s election, including working with the SNP as it did after the 2021 poll.
“There’s no point in the Greens joining a government just to deliver another party’s manifesto, but if we have the opportunity to deliver more of our own ideas, that’s one we should take really seriously,” he said.
He said after the results were announced: “Gillian and I have known each other for a long time, we have spent a long time talking about what we would do if we were ever in charge of this party.
“Now we get to stress-test all of those theories about what a Scottish Green Party led by us would actually look like.”
He insisted the Scottish Greens are “the only genuinely progressive party left in this country” in the run-up to next May’s Holyrood election.
He claimed the SNP is “dropping progressive policies all over the place”, while Labour is “aping every Nigel Farage press release”.
He said the Greens are “brave enough to take on the rich and powerful”, and he told party members: “Now is the time for us to do difficult things.
“We know our party can do better, can be better. We need to continue on that journey of improvement, we need to get better with our messaging, better with our campaigns.
“We need to make it fun. We are trying to transform Scotland for the better, that should be a joyful experience for everyone who wants to get involved in.”
Ms Mackay meanwhile said Green policies, such as free bus travel for under-22s and the introduction of buffer zones around abortion clinics – legislation she herself successfully brought forward at Holyrood – mean the party has “already started improving the lives of millions”.
But she insisted: “We can and will go further.”
Ms Mackay, who had her first baby over the summer recess, said she will “champion a four-day week, better parental pay and basic universal income” – adding these are “policies that will transform lives”.
Both new co-leaders praised their predecessors, with Ms Mackay saying: “I want to thank Patrick for the work he has done for the party in the past 17 years. I have never known a Scottish Greens without him at the helm, and I certainly think it is going to be an adjustment for us all.”
Mr Greer said: “Patrick has defined our party in the eyes of the Scottish public for almost two decades, he has led us through periods of incredible growth and achievement.”
He thanked Mr Harvie for “transforming this party from a well-meaning, enthusiastic fringe outfit into a force capable of delivering the transformation people and planet really need here in Scotland”.
He also hailed Ms Slater for “six years of incredible service as co-leader of our party”.
