Elections Explained… An election is when a country decides who will be in charge. Scotland is a democracy – this means that everyone has the right to have a say in who rules – by voting.

Elections Explained… The electorate is a word used to describe the people who are eligible to vote (i.e. most people over 18). Politics in Scotland is a “Party System”. There are various political parties in Scotland.

Elections Explained… Parties have certain views and beliefs which are largely shared by their members. E.g. the main objective of the SNP is to achieve Scottish independence.

Elections Explained… On election day, voters choose who they would like to rule by voting for candidates, most of whom will be members of one of the political parties.

Elections Explained… People vote for a candidate in their area or constituency. Whoever gets the most votes in this area wins a seat in Scottish Parliament, becoming an MSP (Member of Scottish Parliament). The biggest party in Parliament has most seats (currently SNP).

Types of Government 1.If one party wins most of seats in Parliament (over half) – majority government.

Types of Government 1.If one party wins most of seats in Parliament (over half) – majority government. If no party wins majority there are 2 possible types of government. Can you think what these are????

Types of Government 1.Majority Government - If one party wins most of seats in Parliament (over half). 2.Coalition – two or more parties form a coalition (partnership). The total seats of the parties would be more than half of seats in Parliament. 3.Minority Government – the party with most seats rules but does not have enough seats on its own to have an overall majority.

Election Results of Scottish Parliament Elections are held every 4 years for the Scottish Parliament. So far there have been elections in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011

Task Using pages in your booklet, take your own notes on the results of the elections between 1999 and Put a heading for each election – e.g Election Result Include in your notes the following: 1.Date of election 2.Turnout 3.Type of government (e.g. coalition, minority) 4.First Minister 5.Seats for each party 6.Big changes between elections, e.g. Labour lose seats, SNP gain etc…

2011 Election Result Date – 5 th May 2011 SNP majority government elected SNP – 69 seats, Labour – 37 seats, Conservatives – 15 seats, Liberal Democrats – 5 seats, others – 3 seats. First Minister – Alex Salmond Turnout – 50.75% Big changes – SNP gains, other major parties all lost seats

Scottish Government 2011 SNP has a majority government First time this has ever happened since SP opened in 1999

Before and After…

Turnout in Glasgow…

Composition of Parliament 2011

Women in Parliament 2011 The number of female MSPs rose slightly following the election from 43 to 45. (This is still short of the numbers from Sessions 1 and 2 when 48 and 51 women respectively were returned). 34.9% of MSPs are women (22% of MPs) Ruth Davidson – Conservative MSP

Ethnic Minorities and others in Parliament 2011 The 2007 election saw the election of the Scottish Parliament’s first ethnic minority Member. In the 2011 election this number doubled to 2 with the election of Hamzala Malik and Humza Yousaf on the Glasgow region list. The 2011 election also saw the election of the Scottish Parliament’s first visually impaired MSP. Dennis Robertson won the Aberdeenshire West constituency. SNP MSP Humza Yousaf

Questions 1.Are ethnic minorities better represented in the SP in 2011 compared to 2007? Explain your answer. 2.Which region in Scotland had the lowest turnout? 3.What type of government do we have in Scotland and which party is in charge? 4.What has happened to support for Labour between 1999 and 2011? 5.What has happened to support for the SNP between 1999 and 2011?

Coalition Government Good because: No one party is too powerful Parties have to work together – more representative of Scottish people More scrutiny of government policies Bad because: Harder to get things done Government is weaker – more disagreements

Majority Government Good because: one party in control Easier to pass bills Government is stronger Bad because: Other parties less influential One party too dominant

Minority Government Good because: All parties are very much involved in making policy “Consensus Politics” – all parties have to agree Bad because: Government is weak, not strong No strong leadership as government is fragile

2007 Q 1(b) Explain, in detail, why some people believe a coalition is a good way of governing Scotland. (4 marks) The Scottish Executive has been made up of a coalition of two parties since (b)