Scotland has elections to several bodies: the Scottish Parliament, the United Kingdom Parliament, the European Parliament, local councils and community councils.
Scottish Parliamentary elections use the Additional Member System (AMS) system. Under this system, voters are given two votes: one for their constituency, which elects a single MSP by first-past-the-post; and one for their region, which elects seven MSPs by closed list. Five Scottish Parliamentary elections have been held since the reconvention of the Scottish Parliament in 1999. Elections are held every four years, on the first Thursday in May.
Cowdenbeath by-election, 2014 Lab holdDunfermline by-election, 2013 Lab gain from SNPAberdeen Donside by-election, 2013 SNP holdMoray by-election, 2006 SNP holdCathcart by-election, 2005 Lab holdBanff and Buchan by-election, 2001 SNP holdStrathkelvin and Bearsden by-election, 2001 Lab holdGlasgow Anniesland by-election, 2000 Lab holdAyr by-election, 2000 Con gain from Lab* Philip Lardner, the Conservative candidate for North Ayrshire and Arran was disowned by the Conservative Party for comments he posted on his website, calling homosexuality 'abnormal'. It was too late for him to be replaced and he still read as the Scottish Conservative & Unionist Party candidate on the ballot paper.
Since 1995 Local elections are generally held in Scotland every 4 years, for all 32 unitary authorities which were created under the Local Government etc. (Scotland) Act 1994. Between 1975 and 1992 elections were held every 2 years for either District or regional council, which sat for 4-year terms. The set up was created under Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973
As one consequence of the Gould Report, which was a response to the fiasco of the 2007 elections, the next council elections are scheduled for 2012 (one year after the Parliamentary elections).
The election was contested for the second time under the STV system of proportional representation. It was also the first time in 13 years for the elections not be held on the same day as the Scottish parliament elections. For full analysis see Scottish council elections, 2012.
date to be announced: Abbey (4-member ward), Dumfries and Galloway, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: result pending (result May 2007: 2 Con, 1 SNP, 1 Lab)1 May: Troup (3-member ward), Aberdeenshire, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: result pending (result May 2007: 1 SNP, 1 Con, 1 Ind)6 March: Cambuslang East (3-member ward), South Lanarkshire, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: Lab gain from SNP (result May 2007: 2 Lab, 1 SNP; after by election: 3 Lab)28 Feb: Lerwick South (4-member ward), Shetland, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: Ind hold (result May 2007: 4 Ind; after by election: 4 Ind)21 Feb: Highland (3-member ward), Perth and Kinross, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: SNP hold (result May 2007: 2 SNP, 1 Con; after by election: 2 SNP, 1 Con)14 Feb: Elgin City South (3-member ward), Moray, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: SNP gain from Ind (result May 2007: 1 SNP, 1 Lab, 1 Ind; after by election: 2 SNP, 1 Lab)31 January: Kilsyth (3-member ward), North Lanarkshire, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: Lab hold (result May 2007: 2 Lab, 1 SNP; after by election: 2 Lab, 1 SNP)22 November: Lochee (4-member ward), Dundee, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: SNP hold (result May 2007: 2 SNP, 2 Lab; after by election: 2 SNP, 2 Lab)4 October: Helensburgh and Lomond South (3-member ward), Argyll and Bute, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: Lib Dem gain from Ind (result May 2007: 1 Con, 1 Ind, 1 Lib Dem; after by election: 2 Lib Dem, 1 Con)16 August: Midstocket/Rosemount (3-member ward), Aberdeen, 1 member elected by single transferable vote: SNP gain from Con (result May 2007: 1 Con, 1 SNP, 1 Lab; after by election: 2 SNP, 1 Lab)8 December: Elderslie, Renfrewshire, Lab hold (16% swing Lab to SNP)28 September: Markinch and Woodside East, Fife, SNP gain from Lab10 August: Lochardil, Highland, Lib Dem gain from Ind15 June: Dumbarton West, West Dunbartonshire, SNP gain from Lab18 May: Altonhill Hillhead and Longpark, East Ayrshire, SNP hold11 May: Biggar, Symington and Black Mount, South Lanarkshire, Con gain from SNP30 March: Avondale South, South Lanarkshire, Con hold30 March: Borestone, Stirling, SNP gain from Lab30 March: King's Park, Glasgow, Lib Dem gain from Lab16 February: Milton, Glasgow, SNP gain from Lab2 February: North Carrick and Maybole East, South Ayrshire, Ind gain from Lab8 December: Kirkshaws, North Lanarkshire, Lab hold10 November: Knightswood Park, Glasgow, Lab hold10 November: Loanhead, Midlothian, SNP gain from Ind10 November: Murrayfield, Edinburgh, Con hold13 October: Lochside, Dumfries and Galloway, Lab gain from Ind29 September: Auchtertool and Burntisland East, Fife, SNP gain from Ind11 August: Herbertshire, Falkirk, SNP gain from Lab16 June: Kildrum and Park, North Lanarkshire, SNP gain from Ind9 June: Huntly East, Aberdeenshire, Con hold9 June: Kilnknowe and Clovenfords, Borders, SNP gain from Ind17 March: Dalkeith/Woodburn, Midlothian, Lib Dem gain from Lab17 March: Dumbarton West, West Dunbartonshire, Lab holdIn 1999, a Scotland-wide constituency replaced 8 first-past-the-post constituencies, which were used in the elections between 1979 and 1994: which returned 8 MEPS under the d'Hondt method of party-list proportional representation system. Since then, the number of MEPs returned by Scotland has been reduced twice more to seven in (2004) and then to six in (2009).
Elected candidates are shown in bold. Brackets indicate the number of votes per seat won.
For full details of results please referee to related articles;
GlasgowHighlands and IslandsLothiansMid Scotland and FifeNorth East ScotlandSouth of ScotlandStrathclyde EastStrathclyde WestTo-date 6 referendums have been held in Scotland, covering a wide range of issues.
United Kingdom European Communities membership referendum, 1975Scottish devolution referendum, 1979Strathclyde water referendum, 1994Scottish devolution referendum, 1997Edinburgh congestion charge referendum, 2005Scottish independence referendum, 2014
