MARK Ballard, the Green MSP, was yesterday voted rector of Edinburgh University, beating candidates including Boris Johnson, the colourful Tory frontbencher.

In what was the largest voting turnout in the rectorship's history, he defeated Magnus Linklater, the newspaper columnist and former Scottish Arts Council chairman, who was second, Mr Johnson, who was third, and John Pilger, the award-winning journalist, who was fourth.

Nearly 8000 students and staff voted, a huge increase on the 1100 who went to the ballot box three years ago when Tam Dalyell, former MP and Father of the House of Commons, won. Yesterday's turnout represented 26.5-per cent of the university electorate.

Mr Ballard was supported by the Edinburgh University Students' Association in a campaign which the students titled "Anything but Boris".

Mr Ballard said: "My campaign team did so much for me in this election and I am so grateful to them for all the time they put in.

"We showed in this election that campaigning can beat celebrity. Students have voted for the right policies for this university, not purely personality, and most of all the result very clearly shows that with by far the largest turnout, that staff and students reject top-up fees. I will do my best to fulfil your trust."

Mr Linklater said: "I was delighted that we actually came within 500 votes of winning, considering we had a tiny team of five people working for us and Mark Ballard had the full resources of EUSA behind him, a huge team of people.

"I thought what we did was remarkable in that case. Boris mounted a high profile campaign but his championing of top-up fees was a disaster."

Alistair Leggate, spokesman for the absent Mr Johnson, said: "We are disappointed but the students association campaigned specifically against Boris and personally I felt that was very unfair."

Harry Day, for Mr Pilger, said the votes for his candidate showed strong support for his stance against the war in Iraq and of his support for the Palestinians' cause in the Middle East.

Mr Ballard and Mr Linklater were the only candidates to attend the count last night.

Using a complicated alternate voting system of elimination, Mr Pilger went out in the first round, having received 1400 votes. In the second round, after votes were transferred Mr Johnson received 2123, and in the third round, with previous votes again transferred, Mr Linklater received 3052 against Mr Ballard's 3597.

EUSA broke with tradition for the first time in 150 years by backing Mark Ballard with a campaign entitled "Anything but Boris", largely in response to his stance as shadow higher education minister on tuition fees.

Mr Johnson, the former Spectator editor, proved to a controversial character, attracting protests at almost every event he attended.

Professor Timothy O'Shea, principal of the university, said: "I am delighted that we had four such high quality candidates contesting this rectorial election, and that is has generated such interest and debate on issues of real importance to students and staff."