Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
| Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament |
|
|---|---|
| Style | Presiding Officer (Within Parliament) The Right Honourable (Formal) |
| Term length | Elected by the Scottish Parliament at the start of each session, and upon a vacancy |
| Inaugural holder | David Steel |
| Formation | 1999 |
| Website | www |
The Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Oifigear-Riaghlaidh, Scots: Preses o the Scots Pairlament) is the speaker of the Scottish Parliament. The current Presiding Officer is Ken Macintosh, who was elected on 12 May 2016, following the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
The Presiding Officer is elected by the Members of the Scottish Parliament, by means of an exhaustive ballot, and also heads the Corporate Body of the Scottish Parliament. He or she is considered a figurehead of the institution.
The Presiding Officer presides over the Parliament's debates, determining which members may speak. The Presiding Officer is also responsible for maintaining order during debate.
The Presiding Officer is expected to be strictly non-partisan, with some similarities in this respect to the tradition of the Speaker of the British House of Commons. To be seen as impartial they renounce all affiliation with their former political party when taking office. They also do not take part in debate, nor do they vote except to break ties. Even then, the convention is that the speaker casts the tie-breaking vote in favour of the status quo. The Presiding Officer also remains a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP).
In the event of independence, the Scottish National Party proposes that the title Chancellor of Scotland be used instead of Presiding Officer, with additional constitutional powers during the absence of the Monarch from Scotland; chiefly, the Chancellor should act in a role similar to a Governor-General in the other Commonwealth realms.
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