Scots are set to go to the polls on Thursday in the Holyrood election, with polling stations opening at 7am and closing at 10pm as voters elect Scotland’s 129 MSPs in local constituencies and on the eight regional lists.
Counting Delayed to Friday
Unlike previous elections – other than 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic – votes will be counted on Friday rather than overnight, with the final result likely to be known in the late evening of Friday.
Campaigners have spent the past six weeks traversing the country in the hopes of winning the keys to Bute House.
SNP's Bid for Majority
First Minister John Swinney’s SNP has led the polls since the beginning of the campaign, with Mr Swinney telling voters a majority for his party – a rarity in the Holyrood voting system – will allow him to put more pressure on Westminster to grant a second referendum on independence.
Speaking ahead of polls opening, Mr Swinney said the election was “Scotland’s opportunity to choose a better future by voting SNP for real action on the cost of living, to lock Nigel Farage out of power, and to secure a fresh start with independence”.
He added: “By casting both votes for the SNP, Scotland can elect a strong majority SNP government that will always stand up for Scotland, prioritise the cost of living, and deliver that fresh start of independence that Scotland needs.”
Reform UK's Rise and Labour's Fight
One of the unknowns ahead of Friday’s results is the fate of Reform UK. The party has been polling well for the first time at Holyrood and looks poised to win at least a dozen seats, with one of the key battles being between Lord Malcolm Offord’s party and Labour for second place.
Anas Sarwar has insisted the polls – some of which put Labour in third place – are getting it wrong and his party will defy the pollsters and pundits on Thursday, but it is a far cry from the success Labour experienced at the 2024 election in Scotland.
Mr Sarwar cut ties with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in February, calling for him to stand down in the wake of the Mandelson scandal, severing an alliance which had held since the pair took over their respective parties north and south of the border.
Greens and Lib Dems Eye Gains
The Scottish Greens and the Lib Dems also look set for gains, according to the polls, with the Greens forecast to be in the running to win their first-ever local constituency.
Green co-leader Gillian Mackay said that every vote for her party was a “vote for a fairer, greener and independent Scotland and to reject the hatred and division of Reform UK”. She insisted: “We don’t have to accept a broken status quo. It’s time to demand better.”
Tories Face Potential Decline
Meanwhile, forecasts suggest the Scottish Tories’ recent history of defying political gravity – initially engineered by former leader Ruth Davidson – which saw them grasp the unionist vote in Scotland and sit in second place for the past decade could be over, with Russell Findlay’s party projected to shed votes and seats.
Key Campaign Issues
The campaign has been dominated by the cost of living, with the SNP pledging to cap bus fares and prices of supermarket essentials while Reform and the Scottish Tories have honed in on tax cuts.
Scottish Labour has also pitched tax cuts, but only if an Anas Sarwar-led government can kickstart the economy.
The Scottish Greens have pledged to introduce more taxes, which would pay for universal free bus travel.
The Scottish Lib Dems have put the NHS and social care at the centre of their campaign.
