IFES
 

May 5, 2016 Held

Scotland (part of the United Kingdom)
Scotland
Election for Pàrlamaid na h-Alba (Scottish Parliament)

Results

Voter Participation


Cast Votes:2,279,153
Valid Votes:2,279,153
Invalid Votes:None
Voter
Turnout*

Vote Share by Party:

Party Seats Won Seats Change Votes

Scottish National Party 63 - 1,059,897

46.50%

Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party 31 - 501,844

22.00%

Scottish Labour Party 24 - 514,261

22.60%

Scottish Green Party (Pàrtaidh Uaine na h-Alba) 6 - 13,172

0.60%

Scottish Liberal Democrats 5 - - 178,238

7.80%

Independents (Independents) - - 5,467

0.20%

Scottish Christian Party (Scottish Christian Party) - - 1,162

0.10%
Election Results Modified: May 09, 2016

General Information

Scotland: Parliament, 5 May 2016

At stake in this election:

  • 129 seats in the Scottish Parliament

Note on the results: The seat counts above reflect the total seats won. The vote counts and percentages are for constituency votes. 

Description of government structure:

  • Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
  • Head of Government: First Minister Nicola Sturgeon (since 20 November 2014)[1]
  • Assembly: Scotland has a unicameral Scottish Parliament composed of 129 seats.

Description of electoral system:

  • In the Scottish Parliament, 73 members are elected by plurality vote in single-member constituencies and 56 members are elected through a closed-list proportional representation system. All members serve 4-year terms.

Last Election:

  • Elections for the Scottish Parliament were last held on 5 May 2011. The Scottish National Party won 69 seats, becoming the first party to secure a Parliamentary majority. Otherwise, the Labour Party took 37 seats, the Conservative Party took 15, the Liberal Democratic Party took 5, and the Green Party took 2. Additionally, 1 Independent candidate was elected.

Main parties in the election:

  • Scottish National Party (SNP)
    • Leader: Nicola STURGEON
    • Seats won in last election: 69
  • Scottish Labour Party
    • Leader: Kezia DUGDALE
    • Seats won in last election: 37
  • Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
    • Leader: Ruth DAVIDSON
    • Seats won in last election: 15
  • Scottish Liberal Democrats
    • Leader: Willie RENNIE
    • Seats won in last election: 5
  • Scottish Green Party
    • Leader: Patrick HARVIE and Maggie CHAPMAN
    • Seats won in last election: 2

Population and number of registered voters:

·         Population: 5,347,600 (June 2014 est.)

·         Registered Voters: 4,138,345 (2015)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 2,751,200 (June 2014 est.)

·         Is Scotland a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (22 July 1981)

·         Has Scotland ratified CEDAW: Yes (7 April 1986)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 46 (35.66%)

·         Human Development Index Position: 14

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: N/A

Disability Data:

·         Is Scotland a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007)

·         Has Scotland ratified CRPD: Yes (8 June 2009)

·         Population with a disability: 802,140

 

 

[1] Officially, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government, but the First Minister functions as the leader of the Scottish government. 

Election Modified: Jun 21, 2024

Most Recent Elections in Scotland (part of the United Kingdom)

With Participation Rates