Scotland’s electoral system after the 2026 Holyrood election

LDER member Richard Wood has published an analysis of how Scotland’s Mixed Member Proportional (MMP) electoral system performed in the May 2026 Scottish Parliament election.

Richard examines the strengths and weaknesses of the system, which combines constituency MSPs with additional regional members intended to improve proportionality.

While MMP has delivered more proportional results than First Past the Post, Richard argues that the 2026 election highlighted growing concerns about whether the system is achieving its intended purpose.

His analysis considers whether Scotland’s current arrangements remain fit for purpose and whether further reform is needed to ensure that votes are fairly reflected in parliamentary representation.

Richard’s contribution forms part of the wider debate about how electoral systems can best combine proportionality, accountability and effective representation. Here at LDER we continue to promote the Single Transferable Vote (STV) as the system that most empowers the individual voter. You can read about the various proportional voting systems in use in the UK here.

Read Richard Wood’s full analysis on Liberal Democrat Voice.