SNP Wins Fifth Term with 58 Seats in Holyrood

The Scottish National Party secured a fifth consecutive victory in the Scottish Parliament election last Thursday, winning 58 seats in the 129-seat Holyrood chamber and ensuring John Swinney's return as First Minister at the head of a minority government.

The SNP fell short of the outright majority of 65 seats that Swinney had sought to strengthen calls for a second independence referendum. Combined with the Scottish Greens' record 15 seats, pro-independence parties hold 73 seats, the largest such bloc in Holyrood's history. Labour and Reform UK each claimed 17 seats, tying for second place, while the Conservatives recorded their worst performance to date. Voter turnout dropped to 53.1 percent, the lowest in a decade.

Swinney described the result outside Holyrood as an "emphatic" win after 19 years in power. He pledged to govern "for all of Scotland," focusing on the cost-of-living crisis and National Health Service improvements. Swinney plans to lead a debate next week seeking a Section 30 order from the UK government to enable a referendum, noting pro-independence majorities in four straight elections. "There has now been a pro-independence majority for four elections in a...