8.—(1) The Commission electoral area is divided into 6 constituencies, comprising the areas described in the Schedule and each such constituency must return one member only.
(2) The day of the count at the first election in respect of each constituency shall be 16th March 2012.
(3) Subject to regulation 54, the day of the count at elections subsequent to the first election shall be the first Friday occurring 5 years after the day of the count at the immediately preceding election.
(4) If they have not resigned office or otherwise ceased to be a member, elected members cease to hold office on the day of the count at the next election following that at which they were elected.
(5) In this regulation, “Commission electoral area” means the crofting counties and the areas designated for the purposes of section 3A(1)(b) of the 1993 Act(1) by the Crofting (Designation of Areas) (Scotland) Order 2010(2).
Section 61(1) of the 1993 Act defines “crofting counties” as comprising the former counties of Argyll, Caithness, Inverness, Orkney, Ross and Cromarty, Sutherland and Zetland. S.S.I. 2010/29 designates the following areas for the purposes of section 3A(1)(b) of the 1993 Act: that part of the local government area of Highland that is outwith the crofting counties; the local government area of Moray; in the local government area of Argyll and Bute, the parishes of Kingarth, North Bute and Rothesay; and in the local government area of North Ayrshire, the islands of Arran (including Holy Island and Pladda), Great Cumbrae and Little Cumbrae.