Next Scottish Parliament election

Next Scottish Parliament election
← 2021 On or before 7 May 2026
All 129 seats to the Scottish Parliament
Opinion polls
 
John Swinney - First Minister (53720492021) (cropped).jpg
Official portrait of Russell Findlay MSP (cropped).jpg
Anas Sarwar MSP.jpg
Leader John Swinney Russell Findlay Anas Sarwar
Party SNP Conservative Labour
Leader since 6 May 2024 27 September 2024 27 February 2021
Leader's seat Perthshire North West Scotland Glasgow
Last election 64 seats 31 seats 22 seats
Current seats 62 31 22
Seats needed Increase 3 Increase 34 Increase 43
 
Minister for Zero Carbon Buildings, Active Travel and Tenants’ Rights Patrick Harvie (cropped).jpg
Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater (cropped).jpg
Alex Cole-Hamilton MSP.jpg
Leader Patrick Harvie &
Lorna Slater 		Alex Cole-Hamilton TBA
Party Scottish Green Liberal Democrats Alba
Leader since 1 August 2019 (Slater) /
22 November 2008 (Harvie) 		20 August 2021 N/A
Leader's seat Lothian (Slater) /
Glasgow (Harvie) 		Edinburgh Western N/A
Last election 8 seats 4 seats 0 seats
Current seats 7 4 1
Seats needed Increase 58 Increase 61 Increase 64
Incumbent First Minister

John Swinney
SNP



The next Scottish Parliament election is required to be held no later than Thursday 7 May 2026, to elect 129 members to the Scottish Parliament. It will be the seventh general election since the parliament was re-established in 1999.

Six parties have MSPs in the sixth parliament: Scottish National Party (SNP) led by First Minister John Swinney, the Scottish Conservatives led by Russell Findlay, Scottish Labour led by Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Greens, led by their co-leaders Patrick Harvie and Lorna Slater, and the Scottish Liberal Democrats, led by Alex Cole-Hamilton. Of these parties, two have changed their leaders since the last Scottish Parliament election in 2021. Alba also have one MSP following a defection from the SNP, and John Mason sits as an independent after being expelled from the SNP.