1999 Scottish Parliament election
# 1999 Scottish Parliament election

The first election to the devolved Scottish Parliament, to fill 129 seats, took place on 6 May 1999. Following the election, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats formed the Scottish Executive, with Labour Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) Donald Dewar becoming First Minister.

The Scottish Parliament was created after a referendum on devolution took place on 11 September 1997 in which 74.3% of those who voted approved the idea. The Scotland Act (1998) was then passed by the UK Parliament which established the devolved Scottish Parliament and Scottish Executive. The parliament was elected using Mixed-member proportional representation, combining 73 (First-past-the-post) constituencies and proportional representation with the 73 constituencies being grouped together to make eight regions each electing seven additional members to make a total of 129. This meant that it would be unlikely for any party to gain a majority of seats in the new parliament and either minority or coalition Scottish Executives would have to be formed.

The first general election to the Scottish Parliament overall produced few surprises with the Labour Party still enjoying high popularity following their landslide victory in the 1997 UK general election as widely expected was the largest party winning 56 seats, mostly in their traditional Central Belt heartlands, which was nine seats short of an overall majority. Labour formed a coalition government with the Liberal Democrats, who won 17 seats.

The Scottish National Party (SNP) had done well in opinion polls running up to the election, gaining 40% in some approval ratings, but this level of support was not maintained. The SNP were the second largest party with 35 seats, which still represented their best performance since the October 1974 general election. The Conservative Party, still recovering from their wipeout in the 1997 general election across Scotland, failed to win a single constituency seat but did manage to win 18 seats through the Additional Member System.

The Scottish Socialist Party (SSP) and the Greens picked up unexpected additional member seats. Robin Harper became the first ever elected 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.

Following the election the new parliament met in the General Assembly Hall of the Church of Scotland in Edinburgh for the first time on Wednesday 12 May 1999, although the actual devolution of powers from Westminster to the Scottish Parliament did not take place until midnight on Thursday 1 July 1999, almost two months later.

For a full list of MSPs elected, see 1st Scottish Parliament. For lists of constituencies and regions, see Scottish Parliament constituencies and electoral regions.

## Results

| 56 | 17 | 35 | 18 |
| - | - | - | - |
| Labour | Lib Dems | SNP | Conservative |

1999 Scottish Parliament election → :

| Party | Party | Constituencies | Constituencies | Constituencies | Constituencies | Constituencies | Regional additional members | Regional additional members | Regional additional members | Regional additional members | Regional additional members | Total seats | Total seats | Total seats |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Party | Party | Votes | % | ± | Seats | ± | Votes | % | ± | Seats | ± | Total | ± | % |
| | Labour | 908,346 | 38.8 | new | 53 | new | 786,818 | 33.6 | new | 3 | new | 56 | new | 43.4 |
| | SNP | 672,768 | 28.7 | new | 7 | new | 638,644 | 27.3 | new | 28 | new | 35 | new | 27.1 |
| | Conservative | 364,425 | 15.6 | new | 0 | new | 359,109 | 15.4 | new | 18 | new | 18 | new | 14.0 |
| | Liberal Democrats | 333,179 | 14.2 | new | 12 | new | 290,760 | 12.4 | new | 5 | new | 17 | new | 13.2 |
| | Scottish Green | – | – | – | – | – | 84,023 | 3.6 | new | 1 | new | 1 | new | 0.8 |
| | Scottish Socialist | 23,654 | 1.0 | new | 0 | new | 46,635 | 2.0 | new | 1 | new | 1 | new | 0.8 |
| | MSP for Falkirk West | 18,511 | 0.8 | new | 1 | new | 27,712 | 1.2 | new | 0 | new | 1 | new | 0.8 |
| | Socialist Labour | 5,268 | 0.2 | new | 0 | new | 55,153 | 2.4 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | ProLife Alliance | – | – | – | – | – | 9,784 | 0.4 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Scottish Unionist | – | – | – | – | – | 7,011 | 0.3 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Liberal | – | – | – | – | – | 5,534 | 0.2 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Natural Law | – | – | – | – | – | 4,906 | 0.2 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Socialist Workers | 2757 | 0.1 | new | 0 | new | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Highlands and Islands Alliance | – | – | – | – | – | 2,607 | 0.1 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Civil Rights Movement | – | – | – | – | – | 806 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Communist | 190 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | 521 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Socialist (GB) | – | – | – | – | – | 697 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Humanist | – | – | – | – | – | 447 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Anti-drug | 423 | 0.0 | new | 0 | new | – | – | – | – | – | 0 | new | 0.0 |
| | Others | 12,967 | 0.6 | – | 0 | – | 17,668 | 0.7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | – | 0.0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,342,488 | 99.7 | – | | | 2,338,914 | 99.7 | – | | | | | |
| Spoilt votes | Spoilt votes | 7,839 | 0.3 | – | | | 7,268 | 0.3 | – | | | | | |
| Total | Total | 2,350,327 | 100 | | 73 | – | 2,346,182 | 100 | | 56 | – | 129 | – | 100 |
| Electorate/turnout | Electorate/turnout | 4,027,433 | 58.4 | – | | | 4,027,433 | 58.3 | – | | | | | |

Popular Vote (Constituency)

Labour

38.77%

SNP

28.72%

Conservative

15.56%

Liberal Democrats

14.22%

Scottish Socialist

1.01%

Other

1.72% :

Popular Vote (Regional)

Labour

33.64%

SNP

27.26%

Conservative

15.35%

Liberal Democrats

12.43%

Green

3.59%

Socialist Labour

2.37%

Scottish Socialist

1.99%

Other

3.37% :

Parliament seats

Labour

43.41%

SNP

27.13%

Conservative

13.95%

Liberal Democrats

13.18%

Green

0.78%

Scottish Socialist

0.78%

Other

0.78% :

## Constituency and regional summary

### Central Scotland

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Central Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Airdrie and Shotts | Karen Whitefield | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Coatbridge and Chryston | Elaine Smith | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Cumbernauld and Kilsyth | Cathie Craigie | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| East Kilbride | Andy Kerr | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Falkirk East | Cathy Peattie | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Falkirk West | Dennis Canavan | Independent win (new seat) |
| Hamilton North and Bellshill | Michael McMahon | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Hamilton South | Tom McCabe | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Kilmarnock and Loudoun | Margaret Jamieson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Motherwell and Wishaw | Jack McConnell | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Central Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 129,822 | 39.28% | N/A |
| SNP | Alex Neil Andrew Wilson Michael Matheson Gil Paterson Linda Fabiani | 5 | N/A | 91,802 | 27.78% | N/A |
| Conservative | Lyndsay McIntosh | 1 | N/A | 30,243 | 9.15% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 27,700 | 8.38% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | Donald Gorrie | 1 | N/A | 20,505 | 6.20% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 10,956 | 3.32% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 5,926 | 3.32% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 5,739 | 1.74% | N/A |
| Scottish Unionist Party (modern) | | 0 | N/A | 2,888 | 0.87% | N/A |
| ProLife Alliance | | 0 | N/A | 2,567 | 0.78% | N/A |
| Scottish Families and Pensioners Party | | 0 | N/A | 1,373 | 0.42% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 1,373 | 0.42% | N/A |
| Independent Progressive | | 0 | N/A | 248 | 0.08% | N/A |

### Glasgow

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Glasgow :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Glasgow Anniesland | Donald Dewar | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Baillieston | Margaret Curran | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Cathcart | Mike Watson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Govan | Gordon Jackson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Kelvin | Pauline McNeill | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Maryhill | Patricia Ferguson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Pollok | Johann Lamont | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Rutherglen | Janis Hughes | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Shettleston | Frank McAveety | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Glasgow Springburn | Paul Martin | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Glasgow :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 112,588 | 43.9% | N/A |
| SNP | Nicola Sturgeon Dorothy-Grace Elder Kenneth Gibson Sandra White | 4 | N/A | 65,360 | 25.5% | N/A |
| Conservative | Bill Aitken | 1 | N/A | 20,239 | 7.9% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | Tommy Sheridan | 1 | N/A | 18,581 | 7.2% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | Robert Brown | 1 | N/A | 18,473 | 7.2% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 10,159 | 4.0% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 4,391 | 1.7% | N/A |
| ProLife Alliance | | 0 | N/A | 2,357 | 0.9% | N/A |
| Scottish Unionist | | 0 | N/A | 2,283 | 0.9% | N/A |
| Communist | | 0 | N/A | 521 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Humanist | | 0 | N/A | 447 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 419 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Socialist (GB) | | 0 | N/A | 309 | 0.1% | N/A |
| People's Choice | | 0 | N/A | 221 | 0.1% | N/A |

### Highlands and Islands

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Highlands and Islands :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Argyll and Bute | George Lyon | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | Jamie Stone | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber | Fergus Ewing | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Moray | Margaret Ewing | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Orkney | Jim Wallace | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Ross, Skye and Inverness West | John Farquhar Munro | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Shetland | Tavish Scott | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Western Isles | Alasdair Morrison | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Highlands and Islands :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | Winnie Ewing Duncan Hamilton | 2 | N/A | 55,593 | 27.73% | N/A |
| Labour | Peter Peacock Maureen Macmillan Rhoda Grant | 3 | N/A | 51,371 | 25.47% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | | 0 | N/A | 43,226 | 21.43% | N/A |
| Conservative | Jamie McGrigor Mary Scanlon | 2 | N/A | 30,122 | 14.94% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 7,560 | 3.75% | N/A |
| I Noble (Independent) | | 0 | N/A | 3,522 | 1.75% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 2,808 | 1.39% | N/A |
| Highlands and Islands | | 0 | N/A | 2,607 | 1.29% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist Party | | 0 | N/A | 1,770 | 0.88% | N/A |
| Robbie the Pict (Independent) | | 0 | N/A | 1,151 | 0.57% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 712 | 0.35% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 536 | 0.27% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 354 | 0.18% | N/A |

### Lothians

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Lothians :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Edinburgh Central | Sarah Boyack | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | Susan Deacon | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Edinburgh North and Leith | Malcolm Chisholm | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Edinburgh Pentlands | Iain Gray | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Edinburgh South | Angus Mackay | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Edinburgh West | Margaret Smith | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Linlithgow | Mary Mulligan | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Livingston | Bristow Muldoon | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Midlothian | Rhona Brankin | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Lothians :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 99,098 | 30.2% | N/A |
| SNP | Margo MacDonald Kenny MacAskill Fiona Hyslop | 3 | N/A | 85,085 | 25.7% | N/A |
| Conservative | David McLetchie James Douglas-Hamilton | 2 | N/A | 52,067 | 15.7% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | David Steel | 1 | N/A | 47,565 | 14.4% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | Robin Harper | 1 | N/A | 22,848 | 6.9% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 10,895 | 3.3% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 5,237 | 1.6% | N/A |
| Liberal | | 0 | N/A | 2,056 | 0.6% | N/A |
| Witchery Tour Party | | 0 | N/A | 1,184 | 0.4% | N/A |
| ProLife Alliance | | 0 | N/A | 898 | 0.3% | N/A |
| Civil Rights Movement | | 0 | N/A | 806 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 564 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 557 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Socialist (GB) | | 0 | N/A | 388 | 0.1% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 256 | 0.1% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 145 | 0.04% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 54 | 0.02% | N/A |

### Mid Scotland and Fife

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Mid Scotland and Fife :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Dunfermline East | Helen Eadie | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Dunfermline West | Scott Barrie | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Fife Central | Henry McLeish | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Fife North East | Iain Smith | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Kirkcaldy | Marilyn Livingstone | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| North Tayside | John Swinney | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Ochil | Richard Simpson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Perth | Roseanna Cunningham | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Stirling | Sylvia Jackson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: Mid Scotland and Fife :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 101,964 | 33.3% | N/A |
| SNP | George Reid Bruce Crawford Tricia Marwick | 3 | N/A | 87,659 | 28.7% | N/A |
| Conservative | Keith Harding Nick Johnston Brian Monteith | 3 | N/A | 56,719 | 18.6% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | Keith Raffan | 1 | N/A | 38,896 | 12.7% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 11,821 | 3.9% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 4,266 | 1.4% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 3,044 | 1.0% | N/A |
| ProLife Alliance | | 0 | N/A | 735 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 558 | 0.2% | N/A |

### North East Scotland

1999 Scottish Parliament election: North East Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Aberdeen Central | Lewis Macdonald | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Aberdeen North | Elaine Thomson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Aberdeen South | Nicol Stephen | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Angus | Andrew Welsh | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Banff and Buchan | Alex Salmond | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Dundee East | John McAllion | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Dundee West | Kate Maclean | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Gordon | Nora Radcliffe | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | Mike Rumbles | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: North East Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| SNP | Brian Adam Richard Lochhead Shona Robison Irene McGugan | 4 | N/A | 93,329 | 32.3% | N/A |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 72,666 | 25.5% | N/A |
| Conservative | David Davidson Ben Wallace Alex Johnstone | 3 | N/A | 52,149 | 18.3% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | | 0 | N/A | 49,843 | 17.5% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 8,067 | 2.8% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 3,557 | 1.2% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 3,016 | 1.1% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 2,303 | 0.8% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 770 | 0.3% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 746 | 0.3% | N/A |

### South of Scotland

1999 Scottish Parliament election: South of Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Ayr | Ian Welsh | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley | Cathy Jamieson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Clydesdale | Karen Turnbull | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Cunninghame South | Irene Oldfather | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Dumfries | Elaine Murray | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| East Lothian | John Home Robertson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Galloway and Upper Nithsdale | Alasdair Morgan | Scottish National Party win (new seat) |
| Roxburgh and Berwickshire | Euan Robson | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |
| Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale | Ian Jenkins | Scottish Liberal Democrats win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: South of Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 98,836 | 31.0% | N/A |
| SNP | Michael Russell Adam Ingram Christine Creech | 3 | N/A | 80,059 | 25.1% | N/A |
| Conservative | Phil Gallie Alex Fergusson Murray Tosh David Mundell | 4 | N/A | 68,904 | 21.6% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | | 0 | N/A | 38,157 | 12.0% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 13,887 | 4.4% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 9,467 | 3.0% | N/A |
| Liberal | | 0 | N/A | 3,478 | 1.1% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 3,304 | 1.0% | N/A |
| UKIP | | 0 | N/A | 1,502 | 0.5% | N/A |
| Natural Law | | 0 | N/A | 755 | 0.2% | N/A |

### West of Scotland

1999 Scottish Parliament election: West of Scotland :

| Constituency | Elected member | Result |
| - | - | - |
| Clydebank and Milngavie | Des McNulty | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Cunninghame North | Allan Wilson | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Dumbarton | Jackie Baillie | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Eastwood | Kenneth Macintosh | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Greenock and Inverclyde | Duncan McNeil | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Paisley North | Wendy Alexander | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Paisley South | Hugh Henry | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| Strathkelvin and Bearsden | Sam Galbraith | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |
| West Renfrewshire | Patricia Godman | Scottish Labour win (new seat) |

1999 Scottish Parliament election: West of Scotland :

| Party | Elected candidates | Seats | +/− | Votes | % | +/−% |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Labour | | 0 | N/A | 119,663 | 38.5% | N/A |
| SNP | Colin Campbell Kay Ullrich Lloyd Quinan Fiona McLeod | 4 | N/A | 80,417 | 25.9% | N/A |
| Conservative | Annabel Goldie John Young | 2 | N/A | 48,666 | 15.7% | N/A |
| Liberal Democrats | Ross Finnie | 1 | N/A | 34,095 | 11.0% | N/A |
| Scottish Green | | 0 | N/A | 8,174 | 2.6% | N/A |
| Scottish Socialist | | 0 | N/A | 5,944 | 1.9% | N/A |
| Socialist Labour | | 0 | N/A | 4,472 | 1.4% | N/A |
| ProLife Alliance | | 0 | N/A | 3,227 | 1.0% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 2,761 | 0.9% | N/A |
| Scottish Unionist Party (modern) | | 0 | N/A | 1,840 | 0.6% | N/A |
| Natural Law Party | | 0 | N/A | 589 | 0.2% | N/A |
| Independent | | 0 | N/A | 565 | 0.2% | N/A |

### Party representation

* Labour – 56 Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs)
* SNP – 35 MSPs
* Conservative – 18 MSPs
* Liberal Democrats – 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
* Conservative – David McLetchie
* Liberal Democrat – Jim Wallace
* SSP – Tommy Sheridan
* Green – Robin Harper
