Western Isles (Scottish Parliament constituency)

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**Western Isles**
Scottish Parliament county constituency

Western Isles shown within the Highlands and Islands electoral region
Created:	1999
MSP:	Alasdair Morrison
Party:	Labour
Council area:	Na h-Eileanan Siar

The Western Isles is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the Highlands and Islands electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to eight constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

1 Electoral region
2 Constituency boundaries
3 Member of the Scottish Parliament
4 Election Result
5 See also

[edit] Electoral region

The other seven constituencies of the Highlands and Islands electoral region are Argyll and Bute, Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, Moray, Orkney, Ross, Skye and Inverness West and Shetland.

The region covers most of Argyll and Bute council area, all of the Highland council area, most of the Moray council area, all of the Orkney council area, all of the Shetland council area and all of Na h-Eileanan Siar.

[edit] Constituency boundaries

The Western Isles 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, the name of the Westminster (House of Commons) constituency was changed to Na h-Eileanan an Iar.

The Holyrood constituency covers Na h-Eileanan Siar (the Western Isles council area).

Geographically, the constituency consists of the Outer Hebidean islands. The major islands include Lewis and Harris, North Uist, Benbecula, South Uist and Barra. Because of the remoteness of the constituency from the rest of Scotland, and the difficulties involved in getting from island to island, there is a significantly smaller electorate than in the mainland Scottish Parliament constituencies.

[edit] Member of the Scottish Parliament

The constituency is currently represented by Labour MSP Alasdair Morrison.

[edit] Election Result

Scottish Parliament Election 2003: Western Isles
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour	Alasdair Morrison	5,825
	Scottish National Party	Alasdair Nicholson	5,105
	Conservative	Frank Warren	612
	Liberal Democrats	Conor Snowden	498
	Scottish Socialist	Joanne Telfer	347
Majority			720	5.81
Turnout			12,387	58.4
	Labour hold		Swing	5.81