State or region
First Minister
How it's filled
- In plain words
- Elected by the Scottish Parliament
- Exact method
- Nominated and voted on by the Scottish Parliament (Scotland Act 1998 s.45-46), then formally appointed by the King; sworn in at the Court of Session. Re-elected by the Parliament on 19 May 2026 (third round, 56 votes) and sworn in on 20 May 2026.
- Chosen by
- Scottish Parliament
- Seats
- 1
Who holds it now
- John Swinney SNP since May 2026 Report Source: gov.scot, checked (+1 more)
Sources
- data.parliament.scot · checked Scottish Parliament open data API (members, MemberElectionConstituencyStatuses, MemberElectionRegionStatuses, MemberParties, Constituencies, Regions), read 2026-10-12: current 129 MSPs, constituency or region, party, start date. For: First Minister, John Swinney, current term
- gov.scot · checked Scottish Government, First Minister; parliament vote 19 May 2026 and swearing-in 20 May 2026 as reported by national media and the Second Swinney government record, read 2026-10-12. For: John Swinney, current term
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