Holyrood
The Scottish Parliament building in Edinburgh; metonym for the Scottish Parliament.
Last refreshed: 10 April 2026
Will 2026 be the election that ends SNP dominance at Holyrood?
Latest on Holyrood
- When is the 2026 Holyrood election?
- The 2026 Holyrood election is on 7 May 2026, the same day as the Senedd election in Wales and English local elections. The Scottish Parliament formally dissolved on 9 April 2026.Source: Scottish Parliament dissolution announcement
- How does the Scottish Parliament voting system work?
- Scottish Parliament elections use the Additional Member System: voters cast two ballots, one for a local constituency MSP under first-past-the-post, and one for a regional party list. The 129 seats are split between 73 constituencies and 56 regional list seats.Source: Electoral Commission Scotland
- Why did Holyrood cost \u00a3414 million when it was budgeted at \u00a340 million?
- The original 1997 estimate of \u00a340 million was revised repeatedly during construction due to design changes, complexity of the site and the ambitious architecture by Enric Miralles. The Holyrood Inquiry in 2004 attributed the overrun to poor initial cost planning and scope changes.Source: Holyrood Inquiry 2004
Background
Holyrood refers to the Scottish Parliament building on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened in 2004 after a construction project that ran massively over budget (from an initial estimate of £40 million to a final cost of £414 million). Designed by Enric Miralles, the building's unusual organic architecture was controversial at the time but has since become an accepted landmark. The name comes from Holyrood Palace, the adjacent royal residence. The building houses the 129-seat chamber of the Scottish Parliament, established by the Scotland Act 1998 following the 1997 devolution referendum.
The term Holyrood is used as a shorthand for the Scottish Parliament as an institution, in the same way Westminster refers to the UK Parliament. Scottish Parliament elections use the Additional Member System (AMS): voters cast two ballots, one for a constituency MSP under first-past-the-post and one for a regional party list. The 2026 Holyrood election is scheduled for 7 May 2026, the same day as the Senedd and English local elections.
A record 39 MSPs retired at the 2026 dissolution, the highest since devolution began, creating significant uncertainty about seat distributions and giving smaller parties openings in both constituency and list contests. The election is the first in which the SNP faces serious projections of losing its dominant position at Holyrood.