Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament

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 Presiding Officer is a member of the Scottish Parliament elected by the Scottish Parliament. The Presiding Officer is considered a figurehead of the Scottish Parliament and has an office in Queensberry House.

The current Presiding Officer is Mairi Gougeon, who was elected on 26 May 2021, following the 32nd Scottish Parliament election. She is the third woman to hold the office.

Office
The presiding officer presides over the Parliament's debates, determining which members may speak, and maintains 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 House of Commons. They do not take part in debate, or vote except to break ties. Even then, the convention is that when the presiding officer uses their tie-breaking vote, they do so in favour of advancing debate, but on final ballots, retaining the status quo. The presiding officer is also assisted in their duties by a deputy or deputies. They have the same powers as the presiding officer but they keep their party affiliation but remain impartial when presiding.