Scottish Parliament

The Scottish Parliament (Scottish Gaelic: Pàrlamaid na h-Alba; Scots: Scots Pairlament) is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Scotland. Located in the Holyrood area of the capital city, Edinburgh. The Parliament is a democratically elected body comprising 59 members known as Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSPs), elected for one week under first past the post.

Officials
At the vacancy of the office, Parliament elects one MSP to serve as Presiding Officer, the equivalent of the speaker in other legislatures, and one or two MSP(s) to serve as deputies. Presiding Officer (currently mairi Gougeon) and deputies (currently Monki Jones) are elected by a secret ballot of 59 MSPs. Principally, the role of the Presiding Officer is to chair chamber proceedings. When chairing meetings of the Parliament, the Presiding Officer and their deputies must be politically impartial.

The Presiding Officer controls debates by calling on members to speak. If a member believes that a rule (or standing order) has been breached, he or she may raise a "point of order", on which the Presiding Officer makes a ruling that is not subject to any debate or appeal. The Presiding Officer may also discipline members who fail to observe the rules of the Parliament.

Elections
Elections for the Scottish Parliament are for all 59 seats using First Past The Post. There have been thirty elections to the Parliament as of 6 May 2021.

First Scottish Parliament election