Science Fair Project Encyclopedia
Scottish parliamentary election, 1999
| No previous election |
| 1999 election |
| 2003 election |
The polling date for the first Scottish Parliament election was held on 6th May, 1999. The Scottish National Party (SNP) had polled well in opinion polls running up to the election, gaining some 40% approval ratings and leading Labour, but this level of support wasn't maintained and they eventually polled behind them. The Conservatives failed to win a single constituency seat (as they had done in Scotland in the 1997 UK General Election).
The SSP and Greens picked up unexpected seats. Indeed, Robin Harper became the first ever Green parliamentarian in the history of the United Kingdom. Dennis Canavan who had failed to become an approved Labour candidate won the Falkirk West constituency as an Independent candidate.
The Labour Party and Lib-Dems formed the Scottish Executive after the election, with Donald Dewar becoming First Minister.
| Contents |
National Vote
Constituency (First-Past-the-Post) results
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/Gain | Share of Vote (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 908,392 | 53 | N/A | 38.81 |
| SNP | 672,757 | 7 | N/A | 28.74 |
| Conservative | 364,225 | 0 | N/A | 15.56 |
| Liberal Democrats | 331,279 | 12 | N/A | 14.15 |
| SSP | 23,564 | 0 | N/A | 1.01 |
| Scottish Green Party | Did not contest | 0 | N/A | 0 |
| Independent - Dennis Canavan | 18,511 | 1 | N/A | 0.8 |
| Others | ? | 0 | N/A | 0.9 |
Top up (Additional Member System) results
| Party | Votes | Seats | Loss/Gain | Share of Vote (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Labour | 786,818 | 3 | N/A | 33.64 |
| SNP | 638,644 | 28 | N/A | 20.90 |
| Conservative | 359,109 | 18 | N/A | 15.35 |
| Liberal Democrats | 290,760 | 5 | N/A | 12.43 |
| SSP | 46,635 | 1 | N/A | 1.99 |
| Scottish Green Party | 84,024 | 1 | N/A | 3.59 |
| Independent - Dennis Canavan | 27,700 | 0 | N/A | 1.2 |
| Others | ? | 0 | N/A | 4.5 |
Scottish Parliamentary Representation
- Labour - 56 MSPs
- SNP - 35 MSPs
- Conservative - 18 MSPs
- Liberal Democrat - 17 MSPs
- Scottish Green Party - 1 MSP
- SSP - 1 MSP
- Others (Dennis Canavan, Falkirk West) - 1 MSP
Party Leaders in 1999
- Labour - Donald Dewar
- SNP - Alex Salmond
- Conservative - David McLetchie
- Liberal Democrat - Jim Wallace
- SSP - Tommy Sheridan
- Scottish Green Party - Robin Harper
See also
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