Scottish Parliament Elections: 2016

Elections to the Scottish Parliament took place on 5 May 2016. The Scottish National Party won the largest number of seats (63), but lost the majority they held in the preceding Parliament. The Conservative Party came second with 31 seats, their best performance at any Scottish Parliament elections. Turnout was 55.7%, an increase of 5.3% points from 2011.

In the elections to the Scottish Parliament in May 2016 the Scottish National Party won the most seats (63 of 129) with 44.1% of the votes, but failed to win an overall majority. The total number of SNP MSPs elected was six fewer than in 2011.

The Conservatives came second with 31 seats and 22.5% of the vote. The number of Conservative MSPs elected more than doubled and their share of the vote increased by 9.4% points. This was the best performance for the Conservatives at any Scottish Parliament election so far.

Labour came third with 24 seats and 20.8% of the vote. Labour lost 13 seats and their share of the vote fell by 8.2% points. The Liberal Democrats won 5 seats and 6.5% of the vote, while the Green Party won 6 seats and 3.6% of the vote.

Average turnout across all constituencies and regions increased from 50.4% in 2011 to 55.7% in 2016. The highest constituency turnout was in Eastwood, where 68.3% of the electorate cast valid ballots. The lowest constituency turnout was in Glasgow Proven, where 42.9% of eligible voters participated.

Following the elections, the composition of the Scottish Parliament is 85 men and 44 women. The number of women is one fewer than in the 2011 elections but one more than in the 2007 election.