Voters in Dundee West returned the SNP’s Joe Fitzpatrick as their constituency MSP for a third consecutive time.
In a result mirroring the one in Dundee East, the SNP’s dominance across the city’s political landscape continues almost unabated.
Joe Fitzpatrick praised his campaign team for the miles they have put in across the constituency.
He said: “It has been a long campaign, and I have been aided by a very strong campaign team.
“The team have worked very hard and we have spoken to more voters than ever before.
“We did not take the voters for granted and it looks like they have kept their trust in the SNP throughout the city.”
Labour’s Jenny Marra looks like she will be elected on the back of the regional list vote.
Full results for Dundee West:
SNP 16070
Labour 7242
Conservatives 2826
Lib Dems 1008
TUSC 642— Paul Malik (@C_PMalik) May 6, 2016
Liberal Democrat candidate Daniel Coleman said that the evening was shaping up better than expected for his party in Scotland overall, but he was under “no illusions” about his chances of taking Dundee West.
“The evening seems to have been better than expected, both around the country and from what I can tell in Dundee.
“I am under no illusions about how tonight will go, but I will be pleasantly surprised if I manage to keep my deposit.
“I do think it will be a closer contest than some might have expected.
“It is a big shame that the turnout has been lower than what it was in the General Election, and it would be even more of a shame if it transpires that the turnout amongst 16 and 17-year-olds was low as well.”
Conservative candidate Nicola Ross said that Scotland was a “one-party state” and that Conservative gains might have been made due to the need for a “good opposition”.
The Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition candidate Jim McFarlane said that he had maintained a realistic perspective on how he would perform against the SNP’s Joe Fitzpatrick.
“The SNP will no doubt win,” he said.
“But there are certainly more questions being asked of the party now.
“Our biggest priority is to stop the cuts instead of passing them on and blaming them on Westminster.”
Voter turnout on the day was lower than the relative high’s witnessed during the Independence Referendum and 2015’s General Election.
The turnout in Dundee West was up by 14% in comparison to the Scottish Parliamentary Elections in 2011.
However, compared to the 67.5% turnout at last year’s UK General Election and the 78.8% showing in the Independence Referendum, it is clear that engagement in the campaign has not been as high.
