Alison, Annabelle and Liam: Scotland’s Parliamentarians Make Their Choices

By theorkneynews on May 15, 2021

Scotland’s Parliamentarians have elected the Presiding Officer and two Deputy Presiding Officers.

Alison Johnstone, a Scottish Green Party MSP, was elected to the role of Presiding Officer on Thursday 13th of May. On Friday 14th of May Annabelle Ewing SNP MSP and Liam McArthur LibDem MSP were elected as Deputy Presiding Officers .

Deputy Presiding Officer Annabelle Ewing MSP said:

“What an absolute honour to have been elected into this role for the sixth session of the Scottish Parliament. Undoubtedly, this session will have a very strong focus on our recovery from the global pandemic and I look forward to playing my part, working across the party divide, to encourage the best possible outcome for the people of Scotland during these challenging times.”

Deputy Presiding Officer Liam McArthur MSP commented:

“I am thrilled at the prospect of working alongside Alison and Annabelle in this exciting yet responsible role. There is no doubt that many challenges lie ahead, but with shared endeavour for collaborative working and the revitalised energy of a newly elected Parliament, I am sure that we can bring positive changes to the lives of the Scottish people. I am very grateful to all colleagues who supported my election today.”

The trio replace the previous 2016 MSPs who took on that role: Presiding Officer: Ken Macintosh
Deputy Presiding Officers: Linda Fabiani & Christine Grahame. Both Ken Macintosh and Linda Fabiani retired from the Parliament. Christine Grahame was re-elected as a MSP in 2021.

The Presiding Officer has to be neutral and so gives up party status. The Deputies remain within their political parties.

The make up of Scotland’s Parliament is :