ALEX Salmond’s Alba party has had all its official descriptions rejected by watchdogs.
The Electoral Commission refused permission for seven proposed descriptions for use on ballot papers as well as an emblem.
Alba, which was launched in late March, had already been stopped from using the slogans at the Holyrood election as it failed to apply before the January 31 deadline.
READ MORE: Electoral Commission reject every ballot paper slogan proposed by Alex Salmond's Alba Party
The Commission's ruling means Alba also cannot use the descriptions, in their current form, if it stands candidates at next year’s council elections, as it has said it will.
However it can use the slogans on general election literature.
The party said it had submitted fresh applications.
In a round up of recent decisions, the Commission said all seven proposed ballot paper slogans failed to “meet the requirements of a description”.
The rejected slogans were:
- Mandate for Independence
- Get independence Done
- Make independence Happen
- The Supermajority - a Mandate for Independence
- The Supermajority for Independence
- First vote Party, Second vote Country
- For the Independence Supermajority
The Commission also rejected Alba’s proposed emblem or "identifying mark" for use on balllot papers, a stylised St Andrew’s Cross above the word ALBA, on the grounds it “contains an unqualified prohibited word”.
The problem with the ballot paper slogans appears to be the omission of the name Alba.
According to Commission guidance, descriptions must allow voters to identify a party.
“If in the Commission’s opinion, a voter cannot identify the party from the description, it is not a description under [election law] and cannot be registered.”
Meanwhile the emblem appears to have been rejected as it included the name Alba.
A long list of emblem-banned words includes Scotland, Scots Scottish, as well as Britain, British, England, English, National, United Kingdom, Wales and Welsh.
All parties can register up to 12 descriptions for use on ballot papers, and Alba was not the only party standing in the Holyrood election to have its proposals rejected.
The Scottish Greens also had a clean sweep of rejections, with eight slogans referring to particular candidates in six regions and two seats turned down as “likely to hinder an elector’s understanding of directions for voting given on ballot papers”.
George Galloway’s All for Unity party, which like Alba stood on the regional lists alone, had two descriptions approved and two rejected.
The rejects were “All for Unity - George Galloway’s team” and “All 4 Unity - George Galloway’s team”, which were both deemed “likely to mislead voters as to the effect of their vote.
READ MORE: Marion Millar, Scottish feminist charged with 'hate crime', backs Salmond's Alba party
The Labour party also had two descriptions rejected “Anas Sarwar - Labour’s National Recovery Plan” and “Anas Sarwar - Get Scotland Back Better”.
Both were considered “Likely to hinder an elector’s understanding of directions for voting given on ballot papers”.
Alba general secretary Chris McEleny said: "Everything ALBA said in the election is coming to pass.
"We are the only party in Scotland campaigning for Scotland’s independence as is required - with urgency and democratic determination.
"It was unfortunate that due to the timescales involved prior to the election that we were unabler to have descriptions and our emblem approved.
"We have updated our registrations to the Electoral commission and look forward to their decision."
A Commission spokesperson said: "All applications to register new party descriptions and emblems are subject to detailed assessments against the criteria set out in law.
"To be registered, a description must identify the party. That means where a description appears on a ballot paper, voters must be able to recognise which party the candidate is standing for from the description used. The descriptions in question were refused because they do not identify the party.
"The proposed emblem was refused as the law prohibits the word Scotland, and any translations of it including ‘Alba’, from appearing alone on an emblem without any additional qualifying words."
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