Scottish Election Guide – what happens and when

Scottish voters are returning to the polls for the first time since 2021 and it looks very likely that the SNP are going to win the 2026 election. However, there is a slim chance of this being with a majority. Recent polling by More in Common on 4 May projects the SNP will win with 60 seats, five short of a majority.

Scots will have to wait until Friday lunchtime before the start of the declarations and Airdrie is the most likely constituency to declare first. The final results should be known by 7pm on Friday when the last count finishes. The table below gives estimated times when each constituency and region may be declared (source: the Press Association):

Constituency/Region	Time
Airdrie	12pm
Ayr Coatbridge & Chryston	1pm
Na h-Eileanan an Iar	1:30pm
Almond Valley Bathgate Cumbernauld & Kilsyth Strathkelvin & Bearsden Moray Perthshire North Perthshire South & Kinross-shire	2pm
Glasgow Anniesland	2:15pm
Cunninghame North Cunninghame South Glasgow Easterhouse & Springburn Orkney Islands Shetland Islands	2:30pm
Glasgow Baillieston & Shettleston	2:45pm
Argyll and Bute Cowdenbeath East Lothian Coast & Lammermuirs Edinburgh Central Edinburgh South Western Edinburgh Southern Edinburgh North Western Edinburgh Northern Edinburgh North Eastern & Leith Edinburgh Eastern, Musselburgh & Tranent Fife Mid & Glenrothes Fife North East Glasgow Central Kirkcaldy Motherwell & Wishaw Paisley Renfrewshire North & Cardonald Renfrewshire West & Levern Valley	3pm
Glasgow Southside	3:15pm
Aberdeen Central Aberdeen Deeside & North Kincardine Aberdeen Donside Aberdeenshire East Aberdeenshire West Banffshire & Buchan Coast Dumfriesshire Galloway & Dumfries West Glasgow Kelvin & Maryhill Scotland North East region	3:30pm
Glasgow Cathcart & Pollock	3:45pm
Angus North & Mearns Angus South Caithness, Sutherland & Ross Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley Clackmannanshire & Dunblane Clydesdale Dundee City East Eastwood East Kilbride Dunfermline Dundee City West Falkirk West Hamilton, Larkhall & Stonehouse Kilmarnock & Irvine Valley Midlothian North Rutherglen & Cambuslang Stirling Uddingston & Bellshill Scotland South region Scotland West region	4pm
Glasgow region	4:15pm
Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire Falkirk East & Linlithgow Inverclyde Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale	4:30pm
Clydebank & Milngavie Dumbarton Scotland Central & Lothians West region	5pm
Scotland Mid & Fife region	5:30pm
Edinburgh & Lothians East region	6pm
Inverness and Nairn Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch	6:30pm
Highlands and Islands region	7pm

Polling stations will open across Scotland at 7am on Thursday 7 May and remain open until 10pm. However, unlike general elections, there will be no overnight count, with the boxes not opened until 9am on Friday 8 May.

After the election

After an election, every MSP is sworn in by taking an oath or affirmation. It is likely that MSPs will be sworn in on Thursday 14 May. The parliament then appoints:

the Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officers
the First Minister election - 19 May
Cabinet selected by First Minister - 20 May

Members of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body are appointed, and parliamentary committees are established.

Any Bills that fell at the end of the last session can be reintroduced and the process would begin again from the start.

Petitions can be submitted again. Cross-party groups can also now be re-established.