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The next Scottish Parliament election is due to be held on the 1 May 2031, although under certain circumstances an extraordinary general election may be held earlier than this. The election will elect the 129 members of the Scottish Parliament, and will be the eighth general election since the devolved parliament was established in 1999.
Under the Scottish Elections (Reform) Act 2020, ordinary general elections to the Scottish Parliament take place every five years, being held on the first Thursday in May. As the most recent election was the 2026 election in May, the next election is therefore scheduled to be held on 1 May 2031. [1] [2] This date can be brought forwards by up to 4 weeks or delayed by up to 8 weeks on the proposal of the Presiding Officer. [3] As of 2026, this power to alter the date of an ordinary election has not been used.
An earlier election, termed an extraordinary general election, is possible if Parliament is dissolved. The Parliament may itself resolve that this should happen: this would require at least two-thirds of the members (i.e. 86 members) to vote in favour, following which the Presiding Officer would propose a date for an extraordinary general election and the Parliament would be dissolved by the monarch by royal proclamation. It does not necessarily require a two-thirds majority to precipitate an extraordinary general election, because under the Scotland Act Parliament is also dissolved if it fails to nominate one of its members to be First Minister within certain time limits, irrespective of whether this occurs at the beginning or in the middle of a parliamentary term. Therefore, if the First Minister resigned, Parliament would have 28 days to elect a successor. If no new First Minister were elected then the Presiding Officer would ask for Parliament to be dissolved. This process could also be triggered if the First Minister lost a vote of confidence by a simple majority (i.e. more than 50%), as they must then resign. AN extraordinary general election would be in addition to ordinary general election, unless held less than six months before its due date, in which case it would supplant it. The following ordinary election reverts to the next scheduled date (i.e. the first Thursday in May in the next year ending in 1 or 6). [1] [2] As of 2026, no extraordinary election have been held to date.
The 2026 Scottish Parliament election was held on 7 May 2026. The governing Scottish National Party (SNP) secured a fifth consecutive term as they emerged as the largest party with 58 MSPs, despite losing six seats and 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 represented in Parliament not to win constituency seats. [4] [5] [2]
Following the election Kenneth Gibson of the SNP was elected as the new Presiding Officer. As Presiding Officer Gibson renounced his party membership for the duration of his term, reducing the SNP to 57 members in the chamber. [6]
Although Scottish Labour suffered its worst ever result in a Scottish Parliament election, leader Anas Sarwar initially said he intended to continue serving as leader. [7] He subsequently resigned two months later to take up a role as trade minister in the Burnham government, receiving a life peerage to do so. [8] [9] This triggered the 2026 Scottish Labour leadership election that was won by Michael Marra. [10]
Graph of opinion poll results prior to the next Scottish Parliament election. Trendlines are 30-day moving averages.
SNP – Scottish National Party
Labour – Scottish Labour
Reform – Reform UK
Green – Scottish Greens
Conservative – Scottish Conservatives
Lib Dem – Scottish Liberal Democrats
Below are listed all the constituencies which required a swing of less than 5% from the 2026 result to change hands.[ citation needed ] Shetland is also included due to its small electorate size.
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | SNP's place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Na h-Eileanan an Iar | Labour | 0.60 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch | Liberal Democrats | 1.25 | ||
| 3 | Dumfriesshire | Conservative | 1.70 | ||
| 4 | Dumbarton | Labour | 2.80 | ||
| 5 | Galloway and West Dumfries | Conservative | 2.65 | ||
| 6 | Strathkelvin and Bearsden | Liberal Democrats | 3.25 | ||
| 7 | Edinburgh Northern | Liberal Democrats | 3.35 | ||
| 8 | Glasgow Southside | Green | 4.05 | ||
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | Labour's place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | East Lothian Coast and Lammermuirs | SNP | 0.55 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Midlothian North | SNP | 4.30 | ||
| 3 | Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse | SNP | 4.30 | ||
| 4 | Renfrewshire West and Levern Valley | SNP | 4.70 | ||
| 5 | Paisley | SNP | 4.90 | ||
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | Reform's place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Banffshire and Buchan Coast | SNP | 0.65 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | SNP | 4.55 | ||
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | Greens's place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Glasgow Kelvin and Maryhill | SNP | 3.29 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Edinburgh North Eastern and Leith | SNP | 4.00 | ||
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | Conservatives' place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eastwood | SNP | 0.95 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Aberdeenshire East | SNP | 1.35 | ||
| 3 | Aberdeen Deeside and North Kincardine | SNP | 1.80 | ||
| 4 | Moray | SNP | 4.05 | ||
| Rank | Constituency | Winning party in 2026 | Swing to gain % | Liberal Democrats' place in 2026 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Inverness and Nairn | SNP | 0.60 | 2nd | |
| 2 | Argyll and Bute | SNP | 4.65 | ||
| 3 | Shetland | SNP | 6.60 | ||
