MSPs are set to elect Scotland’s next first minister on Tuesday afternoon, in the first major test of the new Holyrood arithmetic following this month’s Scottish Parliament elections.
The SNP emerged from the election with 58 MSPs, making it by far the largest party but still below the 65-seat threshold required for an overall majority in the 129-member parliament. That result leaves John Swinney reliant on at least one other party to secure his position and pass key legislation, continuing a pattern of minority and co-operation governments at Holyrood.
Swinney, who has been serving as First Minister, said he was confident he would command enough support in the chamber to win the vote. “We were elected with 58 members of the Scottish Parliament, we’ve got a commanding lead over the other parties, and I look forward to putting forward my candidacy to be first minister tomorrow and to take forward a government that will serve the people of Scotland,” he said. He added: “I’m confident that I can win the vote tomorrow and to make sure that I continue to lead a government that will deliver for the people of Scotland.”
All six parties represented at Holyrood are expected to put forward their leaders for the top job, turning the formal vote into a highly symbolic contest over Scotland’s political direction. While conventionally the leader of the largest party becomes first minister, the fragmented result has given opposition parties a platform to set out alternative visions on issues ranging from the economy and public services to the constitution.
The SNP has previously relied on support from the Scottish Greens to secure key votes, and Swinney will again need backing from at least one other party to be confirmed as first minister. Any future co‑operation deal is likely to shape the government’s approach to climate policy, taxation and public spending over the course of the new parliamentary term.
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The vote to elect the first minister will take place in the Scottish Parliament chamber, with each MSP invited to back a single candidate. The successful nominee is expected to be sworn in at the Court of Session in Edinburgh on Wednesday before moving quickly to appoint a cabinet later that day. Parliament will then be asked on Thursday to endorse the new team of ministers, ahead of the first session of First Minister’s Questions of the term next week.
The incoming administration will face immediate pressures on public services and the cost of living, along with ongoing debates over the future of Scotland’s relationship with the rest of the UK. With a larger-than-usual intake of new MSPs taking their seats after the election, the first ministerial vote will also be an early test of party discipline and the dynamics of the new parliament.
Swinney has framed the contest as a choice between “a government that will serve the people of Scotland” and what he describes as an unstable patchwork of opposition parties. “I’m determined that this parliament delivers for families, for businesses and for communities in every part of Scotland,” he said, insisting that voters “gave us a strong mandate to govern and to get on with the job”. Opposition leaders, however, argue that the reduced SNP tally shows that “business as usual” is no longer acceptable, and that the new parliament must chart a different course.
