Scottish election: when will key results come in?
The Conversation
07 May 2021, 20:41 GMT+10
Polls have now closed in the 2021 Scottish election but pandemic restrictions mean that counts will take longer than usual. Instead of election night drama, we will see results trickle in over 48 hours.
Here are the key moments to look out for and when to expect them.
Friday afternoon: key marginals declare
Voters in Scotland get two ballots, one for their single-member local constituency (like Westminster elections) and another for a seven-member regional contest.
Seats at the regional level are allocated proportionally but, crucially, the votes parties get on this half of the ballot are divided according to the number of constituency seats they win in the relevant region. For example, in 2016, the SNP took 45% of the Glasgow region s list votes but won zero list seats as they had swept every constituency. Labour, by contrast, took four of the seats with 24% of these ballots.
Updated: 07/05/2021, 7:53 pm
Former First Minister Alex Salmond says his party’s “success” lies in “registering as a political party and registering on the political spectrum”.
The Alba Party candidate made an early appearance at the P&J Live on Friday where ballots are being counted for the Scottish Parliament elections.
The results of the north-east regional list – in which he is standing – will not be declared until Saturday.
Speaking to Northsound radio at the Aberdeen election count, the former first minister said: “I think our success is registering as a political party and registering on the political spectrum.
“To form a political party in a six-week period, to publicise, to get the activists and the members and the candidates and the programme – I don’t know if it’s ever been done before.