Scottish parliament

Scottish Parliament Pàrlamaid na h-Alba  (Scottish Gaelic) The Scots Pairlament  (Scots)
5th Scottish Parliament
Type
Type	Unicameral
History
Founded	12 May 1999 (1999-05-12)
Leadership
Presiding Officer	Ken Macintosh Since 12 May 2016
First Minister	Nicola Sturgeon, SNP Since 20 November 2014
Opposition Party Leaders	Ruth Davidson, Conservative Kezia Dugdale, Labour Patrick Harvie, Green Willie Rennie, Liberal Democrats
Structure
Seats	129
Scottish Parliament political groups	Government (63)      SNP (63) Opposition (65)      Conservative (31)      Labour (23)      Green (6)      Liberal Democrats (5) Presiding Officer      PO (1)
Scottish Parliament committees	16 Audit Equal Opportunities Europe and External Relations Finance Procedures Public Petitions Standards and Public Appointments Subordinate Legislation Economy, Energy and Tourism Education, Lifelong Learning and Culture Health and Sport Justice Local Government and Communities Rural Affairs and Environment Scottish Parliamentary Pensions Scheme Transport, Infrastructure and Climate Change
Elections
Scottish Parliament voting system	Additional Member System
Scottish Parliament last election	5 May 2016
Scottish Parliament next election	6 May 2021
Meeting place
Scottish Parliament Building, Holyrood, Edinburgh
Website
www.parliament.scot

Government (63)

Opposition (65)

Presiding Officer

The Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: The Scots Pairlament), is the devolved national, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh, it is frequently referred to by the metonym Holyrood.

The Parliament is a democratically elected body comprising 129 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected for four-year terms under the additional member system: 73 MSPs represent individual geographical constituencies elected by the plurality ("first past the post") system, while a further 56 are returned from eight additional member regions, each electing seven MSPs. The most recent general election to the Parliament was held on 5 May 2016, with the Scottish National Party winning a plurality.

The original Parliament of Scotland (or "Estates of Scotland") was the national legislature of the independent Kingdom of Scotland, and existed from the early 13th century until the Kingdom of Scotland merged with the Kingdom of England under the Acts of Union 1707 to form the Kingdom of Great Britain. As a consequence, both the Parliament of Scotland and the Parliament of England ceased to exist, and the Parliament of Great Britain, which sat at Westminster in London was formed.