An election for the Scottish Parliament was held on 7 May 2026 to elect the 129 members of the Scottish Parliament. It was the seventh general election since the devolved parliament was re-established in 1999.
๐ Election Date and Context
Six parties have MSPs in the sixth parliament, although only five won seats at the last Scottish Parliament election in 2021. The election was held on the same day as local elections in England and elections to the Welsh Senedd.
๐ Leadership Changes
Of the main five parties, four have changed their leaders since the 2021 election. Reform UK and the Liberal Democrats have each received one MSP following a defection from the Conservatives.
๐๏ธ Previous Government and Resignations
In the 2021 election, the SNP won 64 seats, falling one short of an overall majority. Nicola Sturgeon negotiated the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens. In February 2023, Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation.
Humza Yousaf became Scotland’s first ethnic minority First Minister. In April 2024, Yousaf unilaterally terminated the Bute House Agreement with the Greens and resigned after thirteen months in office.
๐ค Current Leadership
John Swinney was elected unopposed to succeed Yousaf and currently leads a minority government. Russell Findlay was elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives with 61.7% of the first-preference vote among party members.
๐ฅ Labour Internal Conflict
On 9 February 2026, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar publicly called for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. Sarwar stated that “the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change.”
๐ Alba Party Collapse
In February 2026, the Alba Party entered a major financial and organisational crisis. On 8 March 2026, MacAskill announced that Alba would be wound down due to its financial position, confirming it would not participate in the election.
๐บ๏ธ Electoral System and Boundaries
The Scottish Parliament uses an additional member system (AMS), designed to produce approximate proportional representation for each region. There are eight regions, each sub-divided into smaller constituencies, with a total of 73 constituencies.
The boundaries used for the Scottish Parliament elections were revised for the 2011 election. The Second Periodic Review of constituency and regional boundaries was completed by May 2025, with proposals formally approved in October 2025.
๐ Record Retirements
A record number of MSPs are not seeking re-election, with 42 as of April 2026. Of the original MSPs from 1999 with unbroken service, only three are contesting the 2026 election: Jackie Baillie, Fergus Ewing and John Swinney.
| Party | Leader (2026) | Seats Won (2021) | Change Since 2021 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scottish National Party (SNP) | John Swinney | 64 | Leader changed |
| Scottish Conservatives | Russell Findlay | 31 | Leader changed; lost 1 MSP to defection |
| Scottish Labour | Anas Sarwar | 22 | Gained 1 MSP via by-election |
| Scottish Greens | Gillian Mackay and Ross Greer | 8 | No change |
| Scottish Liberal Democrats | Alex Cole-Hamilton | 4 | Gained 1 MSP via defection (now 5) |
| Reform UK | Not specified | 0 | Gained 1 MSP via defection |
| Alba Party | Kenny MacAskill | 0 | Party wound down; not contesting 2026 |
| Independents | N/A | 0 | 7 MSPs sit as independents |