Edinburgh Central (Scottish Parliament constituency)

Scottish Parliament constituency infobox
Name = Edinburgh Central
Type = burgh


Region = Lothians
Year = 1999
MSP = Sarah Boyack
Party = Labour
Council = City of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Lothians electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

The constituency was created with the name and boundaries of a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). The Westminster constituency was later abolished, in 2005. See "Edinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency)".

Since 1999, the constituency MSP has been an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Scotland. From 1925 until 1999, that role had been taken by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Westminster constituency.

Electoral region

:"See also "Lothians Scottish Parliament region

The other eight constituencies of the Lothians region are Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh West, Linlithgow, Livingston and Midlothian.

The region covers the City of Edinburgh council area, the West Lothian council area, part of the Midlothian council area, and part of the East Lothian council area.

Constituency boundaries

The Edinburgh Central constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies [See [http://www.bcomm-scotland.gov.uk/ "The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland] "] .

Council area

The Holyrood constituency covers a central portion of the City of Edinburgh council area. The rest of the city area is covered by five other constituencies, all also in the Lothians electoral region: Edinburgh North and Leith to the north, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh to the east, Edinburgh South to the south, Edinburgh Pentlands to the southwest, and Edinburgh West to the west.

The Edinburgh East and Musselburgh constituency also covers the Musselburgh portion of the East Lothian council area. The rest of the East Lothian area is covered by the East Lothian constituency, which is in the South of Scotland electoral region.

Member of the Scottish Parliament

Election results

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Sarah Boyack
votes = 9,155
percentage = 31.1
change = -1.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Siobhan Mathers
votes = 7,962
percentage = 27.1
change = +4.3Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Shirley-Anne Somerville
votes = 7,496
percentage = 25.5
change = +7.8Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative and Unionist Party
candidate = Fiona Houston
votes = 4,783
percentage = 16.3
change = -0.8Election box majority
votes = 1,193
percentage = 4.1
change = -5.42Election box turnout
votes = 29,396
percentage = 52.9
change = +6.8Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
loser =
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Sarah Boyack
votes = 9,066
percentage = 32.36
change = −5.66 Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Andy Myles
votes = 6,400
percentage = 22.85
change = +6.31 Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Kevin Pringle
votes = 4,965
percentage = 17.72
change = −7.93 Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative Party
candidate = Peter Finnie
votes = 4,802
percentage = 17.14
change = +1.05 Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Catriona Grant
votes = 2,552
percentage = 9.11
change = +6.89 Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Peoples Alliance
candidate = James O'Neill
votes = 229
percentage = 0.82
change = +0.82 Election box majority
votes = 2,666
percentage = 9.52
change = −2.85 Election box turnout
votes = 28,014
percentage = 46.06
change = −10.67 Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
loser =
swing =

Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Labour Party
candidate = Sarah Boyack
votes = 14,224
percentage = 38.02
change = N/A Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish National Party
candidate = Ian McKee
votes = 9,598
percentage = 25.65
change = N/A Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Liberal Democrats
candidate = Andy Myles
votes = 6,187
percentage = 16.54
change = N/A Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Conservative Party
candidate = Jacqui Low
votes = 6,018
percentage = 16.09
change = N/A Election box candidate with party link
party = Scottish Socialist Party
candidate = Kevin Williamson
votes = 830
percentage = 2.22
change = N/AElection box majority
votes = 4,626
percentage = 12.37
change = N/AElection box turnout
votes =
percentage =
change = Election box hold with party link
winner = Scottish Labour Party
loser =
swing =

Footnotes

ee also

*Politics of Edinburgh