Final results returned in 2021 Scottish Parliament election
All 73 constituencies have now declared - with the SNP winning 62 of them
Last updated 8th May 2021
Counting has finished in the Scottish Parliament election - with the SNP securing 62 of 73 constituency seats, and five more years as First Minister for Nicola Sturgeon.
But the party failed to earn an overall majority in the regional list vote, missing out by just one seat. Here's how the results came through in a two-day marathon of vote counting.
Saturday's count
In the first result declared on Saturday the SNP held Aberdeenshire East.
Gillian Martin retained her seat with 18,307 votes, with Conservative candidate Stewart Whyte taking second place on 16,418 votes.
The Liberal Democrats won 3,396 votes and Labour 2,900.
Turnout was 64.25%.
Aberdeen South and North Kincardine was next to declare, with the SNP's Gillian Martin also holding to begin her second term.
The SNP also held Renfrewshire South with Thomas Arthur returning to Holyrood.
Former Health Secretary Shona Robison has also been returned for the SNP, continuing a Holyrood career that's now spanned more than 20 years.
In Perthshire South and Kinross-shire Jim Fairlie has been elected for the first time in what was his party’s most marginal held constituency in 2016.
Another new face is in Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley where Elena Whitham holds for the SNP, replacing the outgoing Jeane Freeman. The party has also held on to further seats in Cumbernauld & Kilsyth, Uddingston and Bellshill, Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley, Glasgow Provan, Mid Fife and Glenrothes and Falkirk West; where Transport Secretary Michael Matheson holds on for another term.
Angela Constance and Shirley-Anne Somerville were next to hold their seats for the SNP, in Almond Valley and Dunfermline respectively; followed by Graeme Dey in Angus South and James Dornan in Glasgow Cathcart, who returns for a third term.
The first victory outwith the SNP came in Galloway and West Dumfries, where Finlay Carson saw off the challenge of Emma Harper to hold the seat for the Scottish Conservatives.
More victories for the SNP followed, with John Mason being returned in Glasgow Shettleston and Màiri McAllan holding on to the seat vacated by Aileen Campbell in Clydesdale.
The party has another fresh face at Holyrood as Collette Stevenson holds onto Linda Fabiani's former constituency of East Kilbride.
But another Conservative hold for Alex Burnett in Aberdeenshire West looks likely to have denied the SNP an overall majority in the Scottish Parliament.
There was another hold for the SNP and Gordon Macdonald in Edinburgh Pentlands, and in Glasgow Kelvin where Kaukab Stewart made history by becoming the first woman of colour elected to the Scottish Parliament.
The last constituency results to declare saw Christine Grahame hold Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale for the SNP, Ash Denham do the same for Edinburgh Eastern and Ben MacPherson hold on to Edinburgh Northern & Leith.
As counting wrapped up for the constituencies, the regional list seats started to be declared.
Central Scotland saw three seats each go to the Conservatives and Labour, along with one for the Scottish Greens.
In the Highlands and Islands Scottish Tory leader Douglas Ross is joined by three more members of his party, as well as one apiece for the SNP, Labour and Greens.
Two more party leaders were confirmed on the Glasgow regional list, where Labour's Anas Sarwar and the Greens' Patrick Harvie were joined by two Scottish Tories, and three more Labour MSPs, including Pam Duncan-Glancy who becomes the first permanent wheelchair user elected to the Scottish Parliament.
There was no return to the Scottish Parliament for former First Minister Alex Salmond in the North East regional list, with his Alba party failing to get any MSPs to Holyrood.
It was another even split of three MSPs apiece for the Tories and Labour in the West of Scotland with Ross Greer of the Scottish Greens joining them.
In Mid Scotland and Fife there were four Scottish Conservatives along with two Labour MSPs and one more for the Scottish Greens.
In the South of Scotland list Emma Harper held on to claim a 64th SNP seat, just one short of an overall majority. She's joined by three Tories and two Labour MSPs.
The final regional list to declare, Lothian, saw the SNP miss out on an overall majority by just one seat and Scottish Greens co-leader Lorna Slater elected to Holyrood.
What happened on Friday?
Nicola Sturgeon's party gained three seats during the count on Friday - the only party to take a constituency from another - winning Ayr, Edinburgh Central and East Lothian.
However the wins picked up by the SNP could cause the party to lose regional seats under Holyrood's system, cancelling out gains made.
Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie held on to her Dumbarton constituency, which had been the most marginal seat in all of Scotland and a top target for the SNP.
Ms Baillie had a majority of just 109 in the 2016 Scottish Parliament election, but increased that to 1,483.
With some constituencies still to be counted on Saturday, when the crucial regional list results will also be declared, Ms Sturgeon said victory is not impossible''.
With 48 constituency results declared on Friday, the SNP had 39 seats, Liberal Democrats four, Conservatives three and Labour two.
The coronavirus pandemic meant traditional overnight counts were abandoned after Thursday's Scottish Parliament election.
And while the majority of the 129 MSPs at Holyrood have still be declared, Ms Sturgeon said it is "almost certain'' the SNP will win its fourth term in power at Holyrood.
She also stressed that "when the time is right'', she should be able to offer Scots the choice of a better future'' in a second independence referendum.
Ms Sturgeon, who comfortably defeated Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar to claim Glasgow Southside, said afterwards: "My focus, if we are re-elected as the government, is to get back to work to steer the country through the crisis and into recovery.
"That remains the case. But once the crisis is over, and if there is a majority in the parliament for an independence referendum, people should have the right to choose our future. Scotland's future should always be in Scotland's hands.''
Speaking about the prospect of winning an overall majority, the SNP leader said: "It's certainly not impossible, but nor is it guaranteed.
"That was always going to be on a knife edge, it comes down to a small number of votes in a small number of seats, so at this midway point it is certainly still there as a possibility, but I have never taken that for granted.
"It is a long shot, to say the least, in a PR system, to win a majority - you effectively have to break the system. I would like to do it, but I have never been complacent about that.''
However she said it is "almost certain'' the SNP will "win the election comfortably, and we should not understate the scale of that achievement''.
Meanwhile, Angus Robertson, the new Edinburgh Central MSP, said the message from voters there is that "Scotland's future should be in Scotland's hands''.
The former SNP depute leader insisted: "In this most European of capital cities, people have resoundingly rejected the party of Brexit and Boris Johnson.
"The public has rejected all of the parties that want to block an independence referendum.''
As he secured his Perthshire North seat, Deputy First Minister John Swinney said the SNP will be the "leading and largest party'' in the new Scottish Parliament.
While he said there is a "long way to go'' before all the results are known, he stressed it is now "beyond any doubt'' that the SNP will form the next government.
He added: "That is an absolutely gigantic feat for the Scottish National Party to have achieved, to be on the brink of a fourth continuous term.''
Elsewhere, former first minister and Alba Party leader Alex Salmond said the measure of his party's success will be "our existence as a political party'', adding it is here to stay''.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson again expressed his resistance to the idea of another independence referendum, saying it would be "irresponsible and reckless'' in the "current context''.
Pressed on what he would do if Ms Sturgeon pushed ahead with a referendum without Westminster's consent, he told the Daily Telegraph: "Well, as I say, I think that there's no case now for such a thing ... I don't think it's what the times call for at all.''