Devolved parliamentary legislature within a constitutional monarchy
Legislative branch
Name
Scottish Parliament
Type
Unicameral
Meeting place
Holyrood
Presiding officer
Alison Johnstone, Presiding Officer
Appointer
Parliamentary elections
Executive branch
Head of State
Title
Monarch
Currently
Charles III
Head of Government
Title
First Minister
Currently
Humza Yousaf
Appointer
Monarch
Cabinet
Name
Scottish Cabinet
Current cabinet
Yousaf government
Leader
First Minister
Deputy leader
Deputy First Minister
Appointer
The Monarch
Headquarters
St. Andrew's House, Edinburgh
Ministries
30
Judicial branch
Name
Scots law
Courts
Scottish courts
Supreme Courts of Scotland
Chief judge
Lord Carloway
Seat
Parliament House, Edinburgh
Court of Session
Chief judge
Lord Carloway
Seat
Parliament House
High Court of Justiciary
Chief judge
Lord Carloway
Seat
Parliament House Justiciary Building (Edinburgh) Justiciary Building (Glasgow) Mercatgate, (Aberdeen)
Civil service branch
Name
Permanent Secretary to the Scottish Government
President
John-Paul Marks
This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Scotland
The Crown
The Monarch
Charles III
Heir apparent
William, Duke of Rothesay
Prerogative
Royal family
Succession
Privy Council
Union of the Crowns
Balmoral Castle
Holyrood Palace
Scottish republicanism
Executive
Scottish Government
Yousaf government
First Minister
The Rt Hon Humza Yousaf MSP
Deputy First Minister
Shona Robison MSP
Cabinet Secretaries
Junior Ministers
Directorates
Scottish budget
Taxation
Executive agencies
Public bodies
Bute House
St Andrew's House
International relations
Legislature
Scottish Parliament
Sixth session
Presiding Officer
Alison Johnstone MSP
Primary legislation
Statutory instrument
Committees
First Minister's Questions
Scotland Act 1998
2012 Act
2016 Act
EU Continuity Act 2020
Law and justice
Justice Secretary
Keith Brown MSP
Lord Advocate
Dorothy Bain KC
Lord President
The Rt Hon Lord Carloway KC PC
Scots law
Udal law
Courts
Judiciary
Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service
Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
Police Scotland
Scottish Prison Service
Advocate General
Solicitor General
Elections and referendums
Scottish Parliament elections
1999
2003
2007
2011
2016
2021
Next
United Kingdom Parliament elections
1801 co-option
1802
1806
1807
1812
1818
1820
1826
1830
1831
1832
1835
1837
1841
1847
1852
1857
1859
1865
1868
1874
1880
1885
1886
1892
1895
1900
1906
1910 (Jan)
1910 (Dec)
1918
1922
1923
1924
1929
1931
1935
1945
1950
1951
1955
1959
1964
1966
1970
1974 (Feb)
1974 (Oct)
1979
1983
1987
1992
1997
2001
2005
2010
2015
2017
2019
European Parliament elections
1979
1984
1989
1994
1999
2004
2009
2014
2019
Local elections
1967
1968
1969
1970
1971
1972
1973
1974
1977
1980
1982
1984
1986
1988
1990
1992
1994
1995
1999
2003
2007
2012
2017
2022
Referendums
1975
1979
1994
1997
2005
2011
2014
2016
Scottish Parliament constituencies
Scottish Parliament electoral regions
Scottish Westminster constituencies
Proposed second independence referendum
Electoral system
Political parties
Scotland and the United Kingdom
United Kingdom Government
Sunak ministry
Prime Minister
The Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP
Secretary of State for Scotland
The Rt Hon Alister Jack MP
Scottish devolution
Treaty of Union
House of Commons
House of Lords
Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee
Scottish Grand Committee
Interministerial Standing Committee
Barnett formula
Reserved matters
Sewel motion
Administration
Council areas
History
Sheriffdoms
Community councils
Lieutenancy areas
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities
Category
Scotland portal
Other countries
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The politics of Scotland (Scottish Gaelic: Poilitigs na h-Alba) operate within the constitution of the United Kingdom, of which Scotland is a country. Scotland is a democracy, being represented in both the Scottish Parliament and the Parliament of the United Kingdom since the Scotland Act 1998. Most executive power is exercised by the Scottish Government, led by the First Minister of Scotland, the head of government in a multi-party system. The judiciary of Scotland, dealing with Scots law, is independent of the legislature and the Scottish Government. Scots law is primarily determined by the Scottish Parliament. The Scottish Government shares some executive powers with the Scotland Office, a British government department led by the Secretary of State for Scotland.
The Kingdom of Scotland entered a fiscal and political union with the Kingdom of England with the Acts of Union 1707, by which the Parliament of Scotland was abolished along with its English counterpart to form the Parliament of Great Britain, and from that time Scotland has been represented by members of the House of Commons in the Palace of Westminster. The Scottish Parliament was established in 1999, as a result of the Scotland Act 1998 and the preceding 1997 Scottish devolution referendum, held under the Referendums (Scotland and Wales) Act 1997.
The issues of Scottish nationalism and Scottish independence are prominent political issues in the early 21st century. When the Scottish National Party formed a majority government after the 2011 Scottish Parliament election and passed the Scottish Independence Referendum Act 2013, the British parliament concluded the Edinburgh Agreement with the Scottish Government, enabling the 2014 Scottish independence referendum. The referendum was held on 18 September 2014, with 55.3% voting to stay in the United Kingdom and 44.7% voting for independence.
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