1999 Scottish Parliament election
The polling date for the first Scottish Parliament election was held on 7th 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 Tories 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.
The Labour Party and Lib-Dems formed the Scottish Executive after the election, with Donald Dewar becoming First Minister.
National Vote
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 | ? | 1 | N/A | 0.8 |
| Others | ? | 0 | N/A | 0.9 |
Additional Members 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 | ? | 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
- Green - 1 MSP
- SSP - 1 MSP
- Others (Dennis Canavan, Falkirk West) - 1 MSP
Party Leaders in 1999
- Labour - Donald Dewar
- SNP - Alex Salmond
- Tory - David McLetchie
- Lib-Dem - Jim Wallace
- SSP - Tommy Sheridan
Further Reference
See also: