The SNP Won Scotland’s Parliamentary Elections but Fell Short of a Majority

The Scottish National Party (SNP), which supports Scottish independence from the United Kingdom, won the election to the Scottish Parliament.

The party secured 58 seats, falling short of the 65 required for an outright majority. However, the SNP could form a coalition with the Scottish Greens, who won 15 seats.

The results have once again intensified debate over the possibility of holding a new referendum on Scottish independence.

An additional factor was the rise of Nigel Farage’s hard-right Reform UK party, which won the local elections in England. The growing popularity of Farage’s party has traditionally been met with strong hostility from Scottish nationalists, whose relations with Reform UK remain deeply tense.