TWO senior Scottish Greens have hit out at party factionalism amid a continuing row over the controversial process for selecting Holyrood candidates.

Moira Dunworth and Andy Saunders, who were the co-convenors of the party’s tribunal body, hit out at “excessive, inappropriate and patronising” behaviour during an appeal relating to joint leader Maggie Chapman.

They also urged the party to ask office bearer Mark Ballard, who used to be an MSP, to consider his position on an important Scottish Green committee.

Opinion polls have suggested the Greens could increase their number of MSPs from two to around 10 next year.

The likely rise led to a fierce rivalry for List places when the party ranked their candidates in order of preference earlier this year.

Chapman won the battle to be the highest placed Green on the North East List, but her victory was married by claims of unfairness and manipulation.

In particular, it was argued that the decision to determine each candidate’s place on the internal ballot paper by using the third letter of their surname gave Chapman an advantage.

Background: the bizarre alphabet row that has upset the Scottish Greens

This formula put her name at top of the ballot paper, which critics believed gave her a boost at the expense of the other candidates.

Chapman is said to be part of a socialist bloc inside the Greens, which includes Ballard and former Edinburgh University rector Peter McColl.

A complaint was referred to the Scottish Greens’ tribunal body, ACAT, about the decision-making process by the party’s Elections and Campaigns Committee and Standing Orders Committee (SOC). Ballard sits on the SOC.

However, leaked documents show that the appeal to ACAT has also been marred by infighting.

Dunworth had her work as ACAT co-convener suspended after an allegation was made about her having a conflict of interest.

Her removal prompted co-convener Saunders to quit in protest at Dunworth’s treatment.

Caption: Joint SGP leaders Patrick Harvie and Maggie Chapman

In their joint report to the party’s ruling Council, the duo firmly laid the blame for the ACAT chaos at Ballard’s door.

“The initial call to suspend Moira was made by Mark Ballard who, as vice-convenor of one of the committees cited in the ACAT referral, was an interested party,” they wrote.

They continued: “This call for suspension raises concerns because it was an attempt by a senior officer of Standing Orders Committee (SOC) to influence the process of an ACAT appeal which included a complaint about SOC processes."

“To summarise, the call for suspension was excessive, inappropriate and patronising of the ACAT panel.”

The pair added: “The motivation for this allegation of conflict of interest seems to be more based on factional interests than on what was in the best interests of the party.”

Dunworth and Saunders concluded: “Council might wish to advise Mark Ballard to consider his position on SOC, given his inappropriate interference with the ACAT complaint against that committee.”

ACAT ultimately rejected a number of the complaints about the selection process, but recommended random ordering of candidates on ballot papers.

A Scottish Green Party spokesman said: "All of the allegations raised are familiar and have been dealt with in the past or by a recent independently-selected internal tribunal. The allegations have been judged to be groundless.

"It is deeply-disappointing that a small number of members have, after 6 months, still not accepted the results of a ballot which was fair and democratic and have instead chosen again to air their grievances in the press. However, the vast majority of party members remain focused on winning MSP seats in every region of Scotland in May 2016 and recording the best-ever Green result."

Ballard did not return calls.