Nation
Scotland
gov.scot says John Swinney MSP was reappointed First Minister in May 2026. The Electoral Commission set Scottish Parliament polling day on Thursday 7 May 2026.
Last updated: October 17, 2026. Unofficial information. Confirm with your official election office (gov.scot).
The gov.scot page for John Swinney MSP says he was reappointed First Minister in May 2026, and that he was appointed First Minister in May 2024. The page does not print a seat total for the Scottish Parliament.
The Electoral Commission key-dates page includes Scottish Parliament elections in the elections on Thursday 7 May 2026. It says ID is not required to vote in Scottish Parliament elections. The corporate-plan table lists Scottish council elections in May 2027 and does not print a day.
This page does not copy a result of the 7 May 2026 Scottish Parliament election. No results page for that election was read on 17 October 2026.
UK Parliament election
Voters in Scotland vote in the UK Parliament election. The Electoral Commission lists that election at no later than 15 August 2029. UK Parliament page
Population
The ONS mid-2024 bulletin says population growth in the year to mid-2024 was 0.7% in Scotland. The bulletin text that was read does not print a headcount for Scotland alone.
Not in this release
Gap. Westminster constituency pages, local-authority pages, ward pages and candidate lists are not published in this release. This page does not name MPs or councillors.
Sources
- gov.scot, John Swinney MSP — read 2026-10-17
- Electoral Commission, The electoral system, scheduled elections April 2025 to March 2030 (corporate plan page, last updated 9 April 2025) — read 2026-10-17
- Electoral Commission, Key dates for voters in 2026 — read 2026-10-17
- GOV.UK, Devolution: Guidance for civil servants (last updated 28 November 2025) — read 2026-10-17
- Office for National Statistics, Population estimates for the UK, England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland: mid-2024 (release 26 September 2025) — read 2026-10-17