An election for the Scottish Parliament was held on 7 May 2026 to elect all 129 members of the Scottish Parliament. It was the seventh general election since the devolved parliament was established in 1999. The governing Scottish National Party (SNP) secured a fifth consecutive term as they emerged as the largest party, despite losing six seats and falling seven short of a majority.
In the previous election, held five years prior, Nicola Sturgeon led the SNP to a fourth term in government, falling only a seat short of a majority. The party later entered a power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens. Sturgeon resigned in 2023 and was succeeded by Humza Yousaf. Yousaf ended the agreement with the Greens and later resigned after the Greens tabled a motion of no confidence vote. Swinney succeeded him amid party turmoil in the SNP. In the 2024 UK general election, Scottish Labour won a landslide and made a resurgence of support - its best result since 2010 in Scotland. Polls in the run-up to the election campaign suggested the SNP would emerge as the largest party for a fifth Holyrood election running, although focus weighed on who would emerge as the second largest, with the rise of Reform UK across the UK.
The SNP won the election with 58 MSPs, falling seven short of a majority. Reform and Labour both won 17 seats, followed by the Greens on 15, the Conservatives on 12 and the Liberal Democrats on 10. It was the worst performance at a Scottish Parliament election for both Labour and Conservatives, with the former's seat share decreasing for the sixth consecutive election. Conversely, the Greens had their best-ever result, going into double figures for the first time and winning their first constituency seats. Reform enjoyed a rise in support, although they were the only party not to win constituency seats.
The key issues dominating the election included the economy; income tax and the cost of living, healthcare, energy, housing and immigration - although the latter is a reserved issues, it remained a topic of debate. The SNP also argued the case for another referendum on Scottish independence. This was the first election contested using the new constituency boundaries implemented following the Second Periodic review. The election was held on the same day as the local elections in England and the Senedd election in Wales, in which Plaid Cymru were victorious. With Sinn Féin also in government in Northern Ireland, this would mark the first time that all three devolved nations were governed by first ministers opposed to the United Kingdom.
Background
Electoral events 2021 Scottish Parliament election Since the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Scottish politics has undergone a period of significant leadership transitions and shifting governing arrangements. In that election, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 64 seats, falling one short of an overall majority. This led Nicola Sturgeon to negotiate the Bute House Agreement with the Scottish Greens, which brought Green MSPs into the government for the first time to secure a pro-independence majority in the chamber.
SNP leadership changes Sturgeon's final term as First Minister was marked by a renewed push for a second independence referendum, though this was checked by a UK Supreme Court ruling in 2022 stating Holyrood could not legislate for a vote without Westminster's consent. Her government also faced intense debate over the Gender Recognition Reform (Scotland) Bill, which was passed by the Scottish Parliament but was ultimately blocked by the UK government. In February 2023, Sturgeon unexpectedly announced her resignation, citing the personal toll of the office and a desire to make way for new leadership.
Humza Yousaf won the subsequent turbulent leadership contest, becoming Scotland's first ethnic minority First Minister. His tenure was characterised by the ongoing Operation Branchform police investigation into SNP finances and a difficult economic climate. In April 2024, Yousaf unilaterally terminated the Bute House Agreement with the Greens. This move backfired when the Greens withdrew their support for his leadership, and facing an imminent vote of no confidence, Yousaf resigned after thirteen months in office.
John Swinney, a former Deputy First Minister and the former SNP leader while the party was in opposition, was elected unopposed to succeed Yousaf and led a minority government prior to the election. His leadership focused on party stabilisation following the 2024 UK general election, which saw Labour win a landslide victory and Scottish Labour replacing the SNP as the largest party in Scotland at Westminster. However, the SNP later recovered in the polls amid the unpopularity of both Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar, with Swinney leading his party into the 2026 election and promising to deliver independence if re-elected. While the constitutional debate around independence stayed central to Scottish discourse during Swinney's premiership, the immediate path to a second referendum remained stalled by legal and political obstacles.
Conservative leadership changes In May 2024, the Conservative prime minister Rishi Sunak called the 2024 United Kingdom general election to be held on 4 July, which was won by the Labour Party, with Keir Starmer succeeding Sunak as prime minister the following day. Amid the national election, Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross announced his intention to resign as leader of the Scottish Conservatives upon the election of his successor.
Russell Findlay, who had been considered a frontrunner for the position, announced his candidacy for leader on 22 July. Facing fellow MSPs Murdo Fraser and Meghan Gallacher, Findlay received 52% of MSP endorsements and was elected leader with 61.7% of the first-preference vote among party members. On 27 September he become leader of the largest opposition party in the Scottish Parliament. He formed his Shadow Cabinet on 8 October.
Anas Sarwar's call for Keir Starmer's resignation On 9 February 2026, Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar held a press conference in Glasgow to publicly call for Prime Minister Keir Starmer to resign. Sarwar stated that "the distraction needs to end and the leadership in Downing Street has to change," citing a series of "mistakes" that he believed were undermining Labour's prospects in the upcoming elections. Sarwar described Starmer as "a decent man" and "a friend", but argued that his (that is, Sarwar's) primary loyalty was to Scotland and that the Prime Minister's continued leadership was sabotaging the party's future.
The primary catalyst for this intervention was the fallout from the appointment of Peter Mandelson as British Ambassador to the United States, which had come under intense scrutiny due to Mandelson's past ties to child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Sarwar's move followed the resignations of Starmer's chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, and director of communications, Tim Allan. Sarwar said he had spoken to Starmer earlier that day to inform him of his decision, stating that the two had "disagreed" on the necessity of his resignation.
In the immediate aftermath, senior Cabinet members including Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy and Chancellor Rachel Reeves rallied behind Starmer, emphasising his mandate and urging party unity. Within Scottish Labour, the move caused significant friction; while Monica Lennon supported Sarwar's leadership, others such as former Scottish Secretary Ian Murray branded the call a threat to party stability. First Minister John Swinney and Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay characterised the situation as "opportunism" and a "meltdown". Addressing the Parliamentary Labour Party later that evening, Starmer remained defiant, stating he had "won every fight I've ever been in" and refused to walk away.
Easdales donation offer to Scottish Labour In January 2026, the millionaire Easdale brothers "reportedly pledged a six-figure donation to Scottish Labour". Sarwar said that they did not make any policy demands of Scottish Labour but that they want the SNP out of power.
Alba Party financial and leadership crisis In February 2026, the Alba Party entered a major financial and organisational crisis which ultimately led to the party being wound down ahead of the election. Party leader Kenny MacAskill warned members that Alba was unlikely to contest the election due to financial irregularities linked to alleged fraud and declining income, while discussions were ongoing with the Electoral Commission regarding compliance and the party's future registration. The announcement triggered internal divisions within the party, with several National Executive Committee members and candidates disputing the leadership's handling of the situation and calling for a membership ballot on whether Alba should stand in the election. The dispute escalated publicly in late February and early March, amid reports of resignations, candidate withdrawals and disagreements over access to party membership data. Party officials later stated that Alba was financially insolvent and unable to meet existing debts, while internal factions argued the party could continue if leadership changed and additional funds were raised.
On 8 March 2026, MacAskill announced that Alba would be wound down due to its financial position, effectively ending the party founded by Alex Salmond in 2021 and confirming it would not participate in the election.
Other elections Two further elections affecting Scotland took place between the 2021 and 2026 Scottish Parliament elections:
5 May 2022: Scottish local government elections. 4 July 2024: United Kingdom general election.
Composition of the Scottish Parliament before dissolution Affiliation Members Elected in 2021 Before dissolution Difference 64 60 4 31 28 3 22 20 2 8 7 1Liberal Democrats 4 5 1 0 1 1 0 7 7 0 1 1 Total MSPs 129 129 Government majority –1 –9 8
Date Under the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020, ordinary general elections to the Scottish Parliament are held on the first Thursday in May five years after the 2021 election, i.e. on 7 May 2026. This Act superseded the Scotland Act 1998, which had set elections in every fourth year. The close of nominations was 1 April.Glasgow City Council website advice to candidates. The count began at 9 am on 8 May. The reason for holding the count during the day rather than the more usual overnight count was to "support increased public engagement while increasing staff availability and recognising the operational complexities of the Election Countgiven for this is to ensure staff welfare and to reduce the risks relating to accuracy of the count process."
Retiring MSPs 42 MSPs did not seek re-election, which was a record. Eight of those stepping down were first elected at the formation of the Scottish Parliament in 1999, but only five have had unbroken service. Richard Lochhead briefly resigned his regional seat to contest a Moray by-election in 2006; Rhoda Grant lost her seat in 2003 and returned at the 2007 election; Sarah Boyack lost her seat in the 2016 election and returned in 2019. Of the original MSPs from 1999 with unbroken service, only three contested the 2026 election: Jackie Baillie, Fergus Ewing and John Swinney.