Scottish Parliament election, 2007




















Scottish Parliament election, 2007








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3 May 2007
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All 129 seats to the Scottish Parliament
65 seats needed for a majority

Opinion polls
Turnout
52.4% Increase 3.0%









































































































































 
First party
Second party
Third party
 

Alex Salmond, First Minister of Scotland (cropped).jpg

JackMcConnellPortrait.jpg

AnnabelGoldieMSP20110510.JPG
Leader

Alex Salmond

Jack McConnell

Annabel Goldie
Party

SNP

Labour

Conservative
Leader's seat

Gordon

Motherwell and Wishaw

West of Scotland
Last election
27 seats
50 seats
18 seats
Seats won

47
46
17
Seat change

Increase20

Decrease4

Decrease1
Constituency vote

664,227
648,374
334,743
% and swing

32.9% Increase10.1%
32.2% Decrease2.4%
16.6% Steady
Regional vote

633,401
595,415
284,005
% and swing

31.0% Increase9.9%
29.2% Decrease0.1%
13.9% Decrease1.6%

 
Fourth party
Fifth party
 

Nicol Stephen.jpg

Leader

Nicol Stephen

Robin Harper
and Shiona Baird
Party

Liberal Democrats

Scottish Green
Leader's seat

Aberdeen South

Lothians /
N. East Scotland (Lost)
Last election
17 seats
7 seats
Seats won
16
2
Seat change

Decrease1

Decrease5
Constituency vote
326,232
2,971
% and swing
16.2% Increase0.9%
0.2% Increase0.2%
Regional vote
230,671
82,584
% and swing
11.3% Decrease0.5%
4.0% Decrease2.8%




Scottish Election Results 2007.svg
The left side shows constituency winners of the election by their party colours. The right side shows regional winners of the election for the additional members by their party colours .








First Minister before election

Jack McConnell
Labour



First Minister-designate

Alex Salmond
SNP




The 2007 Scottish Parliament election was held on Thursday 3 May 2007 to elect members to the Scottish Parliament. It was the third general election[1] to the devolved Scottish Parliament since it was created in 1999. Local elections in Scotland fell on the same day.


The Scottish National Party emerged as the largest party with 47 seats, closely followed by the incumbent Scottish Labour Party with 46 seats. The Scottish Conservatives won 17 seats, the Scottish Liberal Democrats 16 seats, the Scottish Green Party 2 seats and one Independent (Margo MacDonald) was also elected. The SNP initially approached the Lib Dems for a coalition government, but the Lib Dems turned them down.[2] Ultimately, the Greens agreed to provide the numbers to vote in an SNP minority government, with SNP leader Alex Salmond as First Minister.[3]


The Scottish Socialist Party and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party, which won seats in the 2003 election, lost all of their seats. Former MSP Tommy Sheridan's new party, Solidarity, also failed to win any seats. Campbell Martin and Dr Jean Turner both lost their seats, and Dennis Canavan and Brian Monteith retired.




Contents






  • 1 Background


    • 1.1 Retiring MSPs


      • 1.1.1 Labour


      • 1.1.2 Scottish National Party


      • 1.1.3 Conservative


      • 1.1.4 Liberal Democrats


      • 1.1.5 Scottish Socialist Party


      • 1.1.6 Independents




    • 1.2 Defeated MSPs


      • 1.2.1 Labour


      • 1.2.2 Lib Dem


      • 1.2.3 Conservative


      • 1.2.4 Scottish Green Party


      • 1.2.5 Scottish Socialist Party


      • 1.2.6 Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party


      • 1.2.7 Independent






  • 2 Opinion polls


  • 3 Election results


    • 3.1 Constituency and regional summary


      • 3.1.1 Central Scotland


      • 3.1.2 Glasgow


      • 3.1.3 Highlands and Islands


      • 3.1.4 Lothians


      • 3.1.5 Mid Scotland and Fife


      • 3.1.6 North East Scotland


      • 3.1.7 South of Scotland


      • 3.1.8 West of Scotland






  • 4 Incidents


    • 4.1 Delayed counts


    • 4.2 Vandalism


    • 4.3 High number of rejected votes


      • 4.3.1 Threatened legal actions






  • 5 Election system


  • 6 Top target seats of the main parties


    • 6.1 Labour targets


    • 6.2 SNP targets


    • 6.3 Conservative targets


    • 6.4 Liberal Democrat targets




  • 7 Party leaders


    • 7.1 Major parties


    • 7.2 Minor parties




  • 8 Party Manifestos


  • 9 See also


  • 10 References


  • 11 External links





Background



























Scotland
Royal Arms of the Kingdom of Scotland.svg

This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Scotland














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The main issues during the campaign trail were healthcare, education, council tax reform, pensions, the Union, Trident (the submarines are based in Scotland), the Iraq War and more powers for the Scottish Parliament. Some parties proposed raise the school leaving age from 16 to 18 and raising the minimum age to purchase tobacco products from 16 to 18.


Jack McConnell, as First Minister, entered the election defending a small overall majority of five seats via a coalition of Labour and the Liberal Democrats. The Labor-Lib Dem coalition had been in power, with three different First Ministers, since the first Scottish Parliament election in 1999. Opinion polls suggested its majority could be lost in 2007, due to falling support for the Labour Party and rising support for other parties, in particular the Scottish National Party (SNP). The polls suggested that no single party was likely to acquire an overall majority, nor was there an obvious alternative coalition ready to form a new Executive.


A TNS Poll in November 2006 gave Labour an 8% lead over the SNP which was second behind Labour in terms of numbers of Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs). As the election approached the SNP gained support while Labour's support declined. Based on pre-election projections, there could have been some possibility of an SNP–Liberal Democrat coalition, which might have extended to include the Scottish Green Party.[4][5][6][7] The other parties represented in the Parliament before the election were the Scottish Conservative Party, the Scottish Socialist Party (SSP), Solidarity and the Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party. (Solidarity is a new party, having broken away from the SSP in 2006.)


Other parties that campaigned for seats in Holyrood included the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), the British National Party (BNP), the Scottish Unionist Party, the Scottish Socialist Labour Party, the Christian Peoples Alliance and the Scottish Christian Party.



Retiring MSPs



Labour




  • Susan Deacon, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh[8]


  • John Home Robertson, East Lothian[9]


  • Janis Hughes, Glasgow Rutherglen[10]


  • Kate Maclean, Dundee West[11]


  • Maureen Macmillan, Highlands and Islands list[12]



Scottish National Party




  • Bruce McFee, West of Scotland list[12]


  • George Reid, Ochil[12]



Conservative




  • Phil Gallie, South of Scotland list[12]


  • James Douglas-Hamilton, Lothians list[12]



Liberal Democrats




  • Donald Gorrie, Central Scotland list[10]


  • Jim Wallace, Orkney[10]



Scottish Socialist Party



  • Frances Curran, West of Scotland list[13]


Independents




  • Dennis Canavan, Falkirk West[14]


  • Brian Monteith (elected as a Conservative), Mid Scotland and Fife list[15]



Defeated MSPs



Labour




  • Gordon Jackson, Glasgow Govan


  • Sylvia Jackson, Stirling


  • Margaret Jamieson, Kilmarnock and Loudoun


  • Maureen Macmillan, Highlands and Islands


  • Christine May, Fife Central


  • Alasdair Morrison, Western Isles


  • Bristow Muldoon, Livingston


  • Allan Wilson, Cunninghame North



Lib Dem




  • Andrew Arbuckle, Mid Scotland and Fife


  • Nora Radcliffe, Gordon


  • Euan Robson, Roxburgh and Berwickshire



Conservative




  • Dave Petrie, Highlands and Islands


  • Murray Tosh, West of Scotland



Scottish Green Party




  • Shiona Baird, North East Scotland


  • Chris Ballance, South of Scotland


  • Mark Ballard, Lothians


  • Mark Ruskell, Mid Scotland and Fife


  • Eleanor Scott, Highlands and Islands



Scottish Socialist Party




  • Rosemary Byrne, South of Scotland


  • Colin Fox, Lothians


  • Rosie Kane, Glasgow


  • Carolyn Leckie, Central Scotland


  • Tommy Sheridan, Glasgow



Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party



  • John Swinburne, Central Scotland


Independent




  • Campbell Martin, West of Scotland - Former SNP MSP


  • Jean Turner, Strathkelvin and Bearsden



Opinion polls




Election results




Seats won to the Scottish Parliament following the 2007 election.
 Scottish National Party (47)
 Scottish Labour Party (46)
 Scottish Conservative Party (17)
 Scottish Liberal Democrats (16)
 Scottish Green Party (2)
 Independent (1)













































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































































e • d Scottish Parliament election, 2007
Party
Constituencies
Regional additional members
Total seats
Votes
%
±
Seats
±
Votes
%
±
Seats
±
Total
±
%


SNP
664,227
32.9
+9.1
21
+12
633,401
31.0
+10.2
26
+8

47
+20
37.0


Labour
648,374
32.2
−2.5
37
−9
595,415
29.2
−0.1
9
+5

46
−4
36.2


Conservative
334,743
16.6
0
4
+1
284,005
13.9
−1.6
13
−2

17
−1
13.4


Liberal Democrats
326,232
16.2
+0.9
11
−2
230,671
11.3
−0.5
5
+1

16
−1
12.6


Scottish Green
2,971
0.2
+0.2
0

82,584
4.0
-2.8
2
−5

2
−5
1.6


Independent
25,047
1.2
−1.2
0
−2
21,320
1.0
−0.7
1
0

1
−2
0.8


Scottish Senior Citizens
1,702
0.1
+0
0

38,743
1.9
+0.4
0
−1
0
−1
0


Solidarity





31,066
1.5
+1.5
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Christian
4,586
0.2
+0.2
0
0
26,575
1.3
+1.3
0
0
0
0
0


BNP





24,616
1.2
+1.1
0
0
0
0
0


Christian Peoples





14,745
0.7
+0.7
0
0
0
0
0


Socialist Labour





14,244
0.7
−0.4
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Socialist
525
0.0
−6.2
0

12,731
0.6
−6.1
0
−6
0
−6
0


UKIP





8,197
0.4
−0.2
0
0
0
0
0


Publican Party





5,905
0.3
+0.3
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Unionist





4,401
0.2
−0.1
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Voice
2,827
0.1
+0.1
0
0
5,955
0.3
+0.3
0
0
0
0
0

Action to Save St John's Hospital
2,814
0.1
+0.1
0
0





0
0
0

Save Our NHS Group





2,682
0.1
+0.1
0
0
0
0
0


Free Scotland
575
0.0
+0.0
0
0
664
0.2
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0

Had Enough Party
498
0.0
+0.0
0
0
670
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Enterprise



409
0.0
+0.0
0
0
616
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0

Adam Lyal's Witchery Tour Party





867
0.0
−0.0
0
0
0
0
0


Scottish Jacobite Party
309
0.0
+0.0
0
0
446
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0


SACL





615
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0


Peace
577
0.0
+0.0
0
0





0
0
0


Communist
251
0.0
+0.0
0
0
260
0.0
−0.0
0
0
0
0
0


Independent Green Voice





496
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0

Anti-Trident Party
187
0.0
+0.0
0
0





0
0
0


Socialist Equality





139
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0

Equal Parenting Alliance
124
0.0
+0.0
0
0





0
0
0


Nine Per Cent Growth Party





80
0.0
+0.0
0
0
0
0
0
  Total 2,016,978 51.8 +2.5 73   2,042,109   56 129  















































Popular Vote
SNP
31.02%
Labour
29.16%
Conservative
13.91%
Liberal Democrats
11.30%
Green
4.04%
SSCUP
1.90%
Other
8.67%












































Parliament seats
SNP
36.43%
Labour
35.66%
Conservative
13.18%
Liberal Democrats
12.40%
Green
1.55%
Other
0.78%



Turnout in the election was 51.7% in the constituency vote and 52.4% in the regional vote up from 2003 where the turnout was 49.4% in both the constituency and regional vote [16]


Notes: Independents contested 17 seats and three regions. Scottish Greens contested 1 seat, Scottish Socialist Party contested 1 seat, Scottish Christian Party, Scottish Voice etc. contested a small number of seats. A number of local issue parties also stood in single constituencies. The Nine Per Cent Growth Party stood candidates on the regional lists, and had a candidate for the local council elections of the same year.[17] Standing in the Glasgow Regional List[18] the party finished last of 23 candidates, receiving only 80 votes (0.04%), a record low.



Constituency and regional summary



Central Scotland





































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Central Scotland
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Airdrie and Shotts

Karen Whitefield

Labour hold


Coatbridge and Chryston

Elaine Smith

Labour hold


Cumbernauld and Kilsyth

Cathie Craigie

Labour hold


East Kilbride

Andy Kerr

Labour hold


Falkirk East

Cathy Peattie

Labour hold


Falkirk West

Michael Matheson

SNP gain from Independent


Hamilton North and Bellshill

Michael McMahon

Labour hold


Hamilton South

Tom McCabe

Labour hold


Kilmarnock and Loudoun

Willie Coffey

SNP gain from Labour


Motherwell and Wishaw

Jack McConnell

Labour hold










































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Central Scotland
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Alex Neil
Linda Fabiani
Jamie Hepburn
Christina McKelvie
John Wilson
5
+2
89,210
31.4%
+8.8%


Conservative

Margaret Mitchell
1
±0
24,253
8.5%
−0.6%


Liberal Democrats

Hugh O'Donnell
1
±0
14,648
5.2%
−0.7%


Glasgow





































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Glasgow
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Glasgow Anniesland

Bill Butler

Labour hold


Glasgow Baillieston

Margaret Curran

Labour hold


Glasgow Cathcart

Charles Gordon

Labour hold


Glasgow Govan

Nicola Sturgeon

SNP gain from Labour


Glasgow Kelvin

Pauline McNeill

Labour hold


Glasgow Maryhill

Patricia Ferguson

Labour hold


Glasgow Pollok

Johann Lamont

Labour hold


Glasgow Rutherglen

James Kelly

Labour hold


Glasgow Shettleston

Frank McAveety

Labour hold


Glasgow Springburn

Paul Martin

Labour hold




















































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Glasgow
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Bashir Ahmad
Sandra White
Bob Doris
Bill Kidd
4
+2
55,832
27%
+9.9%


Liberal Democrats

Robert Brown
1
±0
14,767
7.2%
−0.1%


Conservative

Bill Aitken
1
±0
13,751
6.7%
−0.8%


Scottish Green

Patrick Harvie
1
±0
10,759
5.2%
−1.9%


Highlands and Islands

























































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Highlands and Islands
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Argyll and Bute

Jim Mather

SNP gain from Liberal Democrats


Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross

Jamie Stone

Liberal Democrats hold


Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber

Fergus Ewing

SNP hold


Moray

Richard Lochhead

SNP hold


Orkney

Liam McArthur

Liberal Democrats hold


Ross, Skye and Inverness West

John Farquhar Munro

Liberal Democrats hold


Shetland

Tavish Scott

Liberal Democrats hold


Western Isles

Alasdair Allan

SNP gain from Labour










































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Highlands and Islands
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Rob Gibson
David Thompson
2
±0
63,979
34.4%
+11.0


Labour

Peter Peacock
Rhoda Grant
David Stewart
3
+1
32,952
17.7%
−4.6


Conservative

Mary Scanlon
Jamie McGrigor
2
±0
23,334
12.6%
−3.4


Lothians































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Lothians
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Edinburgh Central

Sarah Boyack

Labour hold


Edinburgh East and Musselburgh

Kenny MacAskill

SNP gain from Labour


Edinburgh North and Leith

Malcolm Chisholm

Labour hold


Edinburgh Pentlands

David McLetchie

Conservative hold


Edinburgh South

Mike Pringle

Liberal Democrats hold


Edinburgh West

Margaret Smith

Liberal Democrats hold


Linlithgow

Mary Mulligan

Labour hold


Livingston

Angela Constance

SNP gain from Labour


Midlothian

Rhona Brankin

Labour hold






























































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Lothians
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Fiona Hyslop
Ian McKee
Stefan Tymkewycz
3
+1
76,019
26.5%
+10.2


Labour

George Foulkes
1
+1
75,495
26.3%
+0.8


Conservative

Gavin Brown
1
±0
37,548
13.1%
−2.0


Scottish Green

Robin Harper
1
−1
20,147
7.0%
−5.0


Independent

Margo MacDonald
1
±0
19,256
6.7%
−3.5


Mid Scotland and Fife































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Mid Scotland and Fife
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Dunfermline East

Helen Eadie

Labour hold


Dunfermline West

Jim Tolson

Liberal Democrats gain from Labour


Fife Central

Tricia Marwick

SNP gain from Labour


Fife North East

Iain Smith

Liberal Democrats hold


Kirkcaldy

Marilyn Livingstone

Labour hold


North Tayside

John Swinney

SNP hold


Ochil

Keith Brown

SNP hold


Perth

Roseanna Cunningham

SNP hold


Stirling

Bruce Crawford

SNP gain from Labour










































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Mid Scotland and Fife
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Chris Harvie
1
−1
90,090
33.0%
+10%


Labour

John Park
Claire Brennan-Baker
Richard Simpson
3
+3
71,922
26.3%
+1.0%


Conservative

Murdo Fraser
Elizabeth Smith
Ted Brocklebank
3
±0
44,341
16.2%
−1.3%


North East Scotland































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: North East Scotland
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Aberdeen Central

Lewis Macdonald

Labour hold


Aberdeen North

Brian Adam

SNP hold


Aberdeen South

Nicol Stephen

Liberal Democrats hold


Angus

Andrew Welsh

SNP hold


Banff and Buchan

Stewart Stevenson

SNP hold


Dundee East

Shona Robison

SNP hold


Dundee West

Joe Fitzpatrick

SNP gain from Labour


Gordon

Alex Salmond

SNP gain from Liberal Democrats


West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine

Mike Rumbles

Liberal Democrats hold




















































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: North East Scotland
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Maureen Watt
Nigel Don
2
+1
105,265
40.5%
+13.2%


Labour

Richard Baker
Marlyn Glen
2
±0
52,125
20.0%
−0.1%


Conservative

Alex Johnstone
Nanette Milne
2
−1
37,666
14.5%
-2.9%


Liberal Democrats

Alison McInnes
1
+1
40,934
15.7%
−3.1%


South of Scotland































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: South of Scotland
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Ayr

John Scott

Conservative hold


Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley

Cathy Jamieson

Labour hold


Clydesdale

Karen Gillon

Labour hold


Cunninghame South

Irene Oldfather

Labour hold


Dumfries

Elaine Murray

Labour hold


East Lothian

Iain Gray

Labour hold


Galloway and Upper Nithsdale

Alex Fergusson

Conservative hold


Roxburgh and Berwickshire

John Lamont

Conservative gain from Liberal Democrats


Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale

Jeremy Purvis

Liberal Democrats hold










































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: South of Scotland
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Christine Grahame
Michael Russell
Adam Ingram
Alasdair Morgan
Aileen Campbell
5
+2
77,053
27.8%
+9.4%


Conservative

Derek Brownlee
1
−1
62,475
22.6%
−1.7%


Liberal Democrats

Jim Hume
1
+1
28,040
10.1%
−0.1%


West of Scotland































































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: West of Scotland
Constituency
Elected member
Result


Clydebank and Milngavie

Des McNulty

Labour hold


Cunninghame North

Kenneth Gibson

SNP gain from Labour


Dumbarton

Jackie Baillie

Labour hold


Eastwood

Kenneth Macintosh

Labour hold


Greenock and Inverclyde

Duncan McNeil

Labour hold


Paisley North

Wendy Alexander

Labour hold


Paisley South

Hugh Henry

Labour hold


Strathkelvin and Bearsden

David Whitton

Labour gain from Independent


West Renfrewshire

Patricia Godman

Labour hold










































Scottish Parliament election, 2007: West of Scotland
Party
Elected candidates
Seats
+/−
Votes
%
+/−%


SNP

Stewart Maxwell
Gil Paterson
Bill Wilson
Stuart McMillan
4
+1
75,953
28.3%
+8.7%


Conservative

Annabel Goldie
Jackson Carlaw
2
±0
40,637
15.2%
−0.5%


Liberal Democrats

Ross Finnie
1
±0
22,515
8.4%
−3.9%


Incidents




Scanners counting votes in Glasgow's SECC.



Delayed counts


Some counts in the Western Isles (Barra & the Uists) were delayed because the chartered helicopter sent to pick up the ballot boxes was delayed by bad weather. The boxes were instead transferred by sea and road to be counted in Stornoway. The votes were announced around 12.00 on Friday 4 May.



Vandalism


A man smashed ballot boxes with a golf club at a polling station at Carrick Knowe in Corstorphine in Edinburgh. About 100 ballots were damaged, some having to be taped back together. The man was arrested on the scene.[19]



High number of rejected votes


The number of 'invalid' ballot papers has increased dramatically from previous elections, and the BBC reported that almost 142,000 (or 7% of the total votes cast) were rejected.[20] The Herald reported that this included both constituency and regional votes, and hence the number of individual voters was likely to be considerably less. Nevertheless, there were calls for an independent enquiry into the implementation of the new voting system. The BBC Scotland Chief Political Editor, Brian Taylor, described the situation as "a disgrace" during their Election Night coverage.[21]


Almost certainly the biggest reason for the increase in invalid ballots was that in the vote for the parliament, the ballot papers for the constituency elections were combined with that for the regional lists. A large-type instruction at the top indicated "you have two votes." Being told that they had two votes, far too many voters used both votes on parties in the regional list.
[22] This misleading ballot was made more complicated by two additional features of the balloting: several small parties like the Green Party ran one or fewer candidates in the constituency seats and parties were able to choose to put the name of their leader instead of the name of the party in the label for the list seats. (For example, the SNP was listed as "Alex Salmond for First Minister". The letters "SNP" did not appear on the ballot.) Such poor ballot design decisions contributed to a similarly higher rate of spoiled ballots in the 2000 United States presidential election in areas of Florida such as Miami-Dade and Duval counties.


Another reason presented was that voters were given two papers with two different systems and a different design – one for the parliamentary election where voters marked a cross and one for local councils where they placed numbers, as the council elections were under the single transferable vote system. Undercutting this theory, however, was the fact that the invalid rate in the local elections was far lower despite single transferable vote being a new system for most voters.


A third proposed reason was that this was the first election where electronic counting of papers had taken place. Many blamed e-counting for the increase in rejected papers, in part because the new machine counting did not go smoothly, with many counts abandoned during the early hours of Friday morning before all results had been counted. The main company concerned was DRS Ltd.[23] Nevertheless, nearly all invalid ballots would have been spoiled no matter how they were counted. However, the last minute redesign of ballot papers that was blamed for the high number of rejections in two electoral regions was done to make electronic voting easier.[24]



Threatened legal actions


On 5 May 2007, the BBC reported that Labour were considering legal action against some results (particularly Cunninghame North, where the SNP beat Labour by just 48 votes) due to the high number of rejected votes.[25] A further challenge was expected from Mike Dailly from the Govan Law Centre, a member of the Labour Party, purportedly on behalf of voters in the Glasgow region. He said that the result should be challenged because there were 10,000 rejected ballots which could have caused a different result if they had counted. Tommy Sheridan of Solidarity was only 2,215 votes short of beating the Greens for the last place as an MSP.[25]


There were no election petitions raised to challenge the results.[citation needed]



Election system


There are 73 constituencies, each electing one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) system of election, which are grouped into eight regions. These regions each elect seven additional member MSPs so as to produce an overall proportional result. The D'Hondt method is used to calculate which additional member MSPs the regions elect. Each constituency is a sub-division of a region; the additional members system is designed to produce proportional representation for each region, and the total number of MSPs elected to the parliament is 129.


The election was the first using constituencies (see Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions) that are not identical to constituencies of the House of Commons (Parliament of the United Kingdom). Scottish Westminster constituencies were replaced with a new set of generally larger constituencies, fewer in number, in 2005.


The Arbuthnott Commission reported in January 2006, concerning the multiplicity of voting systems and electoral divisions in Scotland. Council elections on the same day used Single Transferable Vote for the first time, but there was no change to the Holyrood election system, except regarding use of vote-counting machines, before the 2007 election. Scanners supplied by DRS Data Services Limited of Milton Keynes, in partnership with Electoral Reform Services, the trading arm of the Electoral Reform Society, were used to electronically count the paper ballots in both the Scottish Parliament general election and the Scottish council elections, which took place on the same day.[26][27]



Top target seats of the main parties


Below are listed all the constituencies which required a swing of less than 5% from the 2003 result to change hands.


Many of the seats that changed hands are not listed here. For example, the Scottish National Party gained several seats (Stirling, Edinburgh East & Musselburgh, Gordon, Livingston and Argyll & Bute) with very large swings, yet did not gain any of their top three targets.



Labour targets





































































































Rank
Constituency
Winning party 2003
Swing to gain
Labour's place 2003
Result
1

Dundee East


SNP
0.17
2nd
SNP hold
2

Edinburgh South


Liberal Democrats
0.26
2nd
LD hold
3

Ochil


SNP
0.49
2nd
SNP hold
4

Strathkelvin and Bearsden


Independent
0.62
2nd
Lab gain
5

Aberdeen North


SNP
0.92
2nd
SNP hold
6

Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber


SNP
1.51
2nd
SNP hold
7

Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale


Liberal Democrats
2.70
3rd
LD hold
8

Ayr


Conservative
2.99
2nd
Con hold
9

Edinburgh Pentlands


Conservative
3.16
2nd
Con hold
10

Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross


Liberal Democrats
4.96
2nd
LD hold


SNP targets














































































































Rank
Constituency
Winning party 2003
Swing to gain
SNP's place 2003
Result
1

Galloway & Upper Nithsdale


Conservative
0.17
2nd
Con hold
2

Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale


Liberal Democrats
1.01
2nd
LD hold
3

Cumbernauld & Kilsyth


Labour
1.07
2nd
Lab hold
4

Kilmarnock & Loudoun


Labour
1.92
2nd
SNP gain
5

Dundee West


Labour
2.13
2nd
SNP gain
6

Western Isles


Labour
2.91
2nd
SNP gain
7

Glasgow Govan


Labour
2.92
2nd
SNP gain
8

Aberdeen Central


Labour
2.96
2nd
Lab hold
9

Linlithgow


Labour
3.56
2nd
Lab hold
10

West Renfrewshire


Labour
4.41
2nd
Lab hold
11

Paisley South


Labour
4.91
2nd
Lab hold


Conservative targets

































































Rank
Constituency
Winning party 2003
Swing to gain
Con place 2003
Result
1

Perth


SNP
1.15
2nd
SNP hold
2

Dumfries


Labour
1.71
2nd
Lab hold
3

Tweeddale, Ettrick & Lauderdale


Liberal Democrats
2.83
4th
LD hold
4

Eastwood


Labour
4.76
2nd
Lab hold
5

Stirling


Labour
4.86
2nd
SNP gain
6

West Renfrewshire


Labour
4.96
3rd
Lab hold


Liberal Democrat targets





























Rank
Constituency
Winning party 2003
Swing to gain
LD's place 2003
Result
1

Edinburgh Central


Labour
4.75
2nd
Lab hold
2

Aberdeen Central


Labour
4.99
3rd
Lab hold


Party leaders



Major parties


At time of dissolution of the Scottish Parliament at midnight on Monday 2 April 2007, there were five party 'groups' represented on the Parliament's Bureau: Labour (50), SNP (25), Conservative (17), LibDem (17), and the Greens (7). There was also one 'mixed' administrative grouping of 5 independent MSPs and 1 Scottish Senior Citizens Unity Party MSP.






























































2007 Scottish Parliament Election – Party Leaders

Scottish National Party

Labour Party

Conservative Party

Liberal Democrats





Alex Salmond
Leader of the Scottish National Party


Jack McConnell
Leader of the
Scottish Labour Party


Annabel Goldie
Leader of the Scottish
Conservative and Unionist Party


Nicol Stephen
Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats


Age
52

Age
46

Age
57

Age
47

Parliament
Scottish Parliament – 2 years (1999–2001)
& UK Parliament – 19 years (1987–6 May 2010)

Parliament
7 years

Parliament
7 years

Parliament
Scottish Parliament – 7 years
& UK Parliament – 5 months (1991–1992)

Leader since
1990–2000
& 2004

Leader since
2001

Leader since
2005

Leader since
2005

Profession
Economist

Profession
Teacher

Profession
Solicitor

Profession
Solicitor

Of the major party leaders in the Scottish Parliament, only one, Jack McConnell, of the Scottish Labour Party fought the 2003 Scottish Parliamentary election as leader. Nicol Stephen succeeded Jim Wallace as Deputy First Minister and Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats in June 2005, after the latter announced that he would not be contesting the 2007 election.[28] Alex Salmond was elected leader of the Scottish National Party in 2004, with his deputy Nicola Sturgeon.[29] Salmond previously led the SNP between 1990 and 2000, but stood down and was replaced by his preferred successor John Swinney, who headed the party between 2000 and 2004. After Swinney's resignation in 2004, Salmond announced that he would, once again contest the leadership and won the ballot of members in June 2004. Annabel Goldie was elected leader of the Scottish Conservatives in November 2005[30] after the resignation of the incumbent David McLetchie on 31 October 2005 after a row surrounding taxi expenses.[31]



Minor parties


Robin Harper and Shiona Baird were elected as Scottish Green Party Co-convenors in 2004, but as the sole Green MSP Robin Harper was effectively party spokesperson from 1999.[32]


Colin Fox was elected as the Scottish Socialist Party Convenor in 2005. In 2006 Tommy Sheridan left the party to form Solidarity.



Party Manifestos



  • British National Party

  • Scottish Christian Party- Another Approach Restoring the Land of the Book

  • Scottish Conservative Party

  • Scottish Green Party - Act Now: Choose a Green Future

  • Scottish Labour Party- Building Scotland

  • Scottish Liberal Democrats- We think Scotland has a bright future

  • Scottish National Party - It's Time

  • Scottish Socialist Party- People Not Profit



See also



  • Members of the 3rd Scottish Parliament

  • Elections in Scotland


  • National Assembly for Wales election and United Kingdom local elections, 2007, which took place on the same day



References





  1. ^ "Scotland Act 1998 – Part I – Section 2 – General elections". www.opsi.gov.uk..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}


  2. ^ "Lib Dems rule out SNP coalition". BBC News. 7 May 2007. Archived from the original on 23 September 2007.


  3. ^ "SNP and Greens sign working deal". BBC News. 11 May 2007. Archived from the original on 9 October 2007.


  4. ^ "Somewhere over the Rainbow Coalition... Scotsman 12 May 2005". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 11 May 2005. Archived from the original on 22 February 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2007.


  5. ^ Macleod, Murdo (5 March 2006). "Panic within Labour as membership falls Scotsman 5 March 2006". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 7 May 2007.


  6. ^ Macdonell, Hamish (7 March 2006). "Lib Dems open door to coalition with SNP Scotsman 7 March 2006". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 7 May 2007.


  7. ^ Macdonell, Hamish (24 March 2006). "Is this the end of Lab–Lib Dem pact? Scotsman 24 March 2006". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. Retrieved 7 May 2007.


  8. ^ "Former minister to leave Holyrood". BBC News. 14 August 2006.


  9. ^ Knox, John (10 November 2006). "Kriss casts shadow over Holyrood". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.


  10. ^ abc "Scotsman.com News - Politics". Election.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.


  11. ^ "Maclean to quit Scots Parliament". BBC News. 21 June 2006.


  12. ^ abcde "Retiring MSPs". Alba.org.uk. Archived from the original on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 2011-02-20.


  13. ^ Knox, John (30 March 2007). "Another chapter ends at Holyrood". BBC News. Retrieved 23 May 2010.


  14. ^ "Canavan will not fight election". BBC News. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2010.


  15. ^ [1] Archived 25 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine.


  16. ^ "Election 2007: SPICe briefing 07/21" (PDF). Scottish Parliament. 8 May 2007. Retrieved 10 January 2016.


  17. ^ Glasgow Council candidates Archived 6 May 2007 at the Wayback Machine.


  18. ^ Glasgow Region elections[dead link]


  19. ^ "Polling clerk tells of 'bedlam'". BBC News. 3 May 2007.


  20. ^ "Rejected votes more than thought". BBC News. 9 May 2007.


  21. ^ "Elections marred by vote problems". BBC News. 3 May 2007.


  22. ^ Barnes, Eddie (6 May 2007). "The Scotsman". Edinburgh: News.scotsman.com. Retrieved 2011-02-20.


  23. ^ "Electronic automated data capture services and document scanning specialists". DRS. Retrieved 2011-02-20.


  24. ^ "Clue over voter ballot confusion". BBC News. 15 May 2007. Retrieved 23 May 2010.


  25. ^ ab "Holyrood vote may face challenges". BBC News. 6 May 2007.


  26. ^ "Electronic counting to take over from tellers at elections", The Scotsman, 19 April 2006


  27. ^ "Green light for DRS & ERS to deliver e-Count for 2007 Scottish Elections", press release, DRS Data Services Limited


  28. ^ "Lib Dems choose Stephen as leader". BBC News. BBC. 23 June 2005. Retrieved 11 October 2006.


  29. ^ Swanson, Ian (3 September 2004). "Salmond is SNP leader again with Sturgeon as No 2". Edinburgh Evening News. Scotsman. Retrieved 10 January 2015.


  30. ^ MacDonell, Hamish (3 November 2005). "Tories have their 'coronation' as Goldie becomes leader unopposed". Scotsman. Retrieved 10 January 2015.


  31. ^ MacDonell, Hamish (1 November 2005). "McLetchie finally quits over taxi row". The Scotsman. Scotsman. Retrieved 10 January 2015.


  32. ^ "Scottish green party elects new party co-conveners". Scottish Green Party. 30 October 2004. Archived from the original on 7 October 2007.




External links




  • Election 2007, a briefing by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre


  • ScotlandVotes, by Weber Shandwick Public Affairs and Scotland on Sunday


  • Scottish Voting Intention, by UKPollingReport, in association with YouGov


  • VoteScotland, a Scottish Executive and Electoral Commission website

  • Electoral Reform Society – Scotland


  • Scottish elections 2007, at the BBC News website


  • Election 2007, at The Herald


  • Holyrood Elections, at The Scotsman

  • Election Supplement 2007

  • Scottish Elections Between 1997 and present

  • Links to Party manifestos for the election.












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