Current MSP: Alex Fergusson (Conservative) [MSP website]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | +/– | % | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Conservative | Alex Fergusson * | 11071 | -1685 | 36.9 | -2.2 | |
| SNP | Aileen McLeod | 10209 | -43 | 34.0 | +2.6 | |
| Labour | Willie Scobie | 7954 | +157 | 26.5 | +2.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Joe Rosiejak # | 763 | -806 | 2.5 | -2.3 | |
| Majority | 862 | Turnout | 29997 | Swing | +2.4% | CON hold |
Unlike Westminster, there is no convention allowing the Presiding Officer to stand again unopposed, not least because that would not work for list MSPs. It did not matter here – Alex Fergusson, who had won as a Conservative before having his arm twisted to become Presiding Officer in 2007, returned to his party and won again, the first ex-Presiding Officer to serve at Holyrood. Aileen McLeod won a seat on the South of Scotland list.
Notes: Given boundary changes since 2007, variations in votes and share between seats with different boundaries would be misleading. We use the Denver figures, essentially a calculation of the 2007 votes cast within 2011 boundaries. More information on this here.
Symbols used:
* – Incumbent
^ – Challenger holding a list seat in previous Parliament
# – Lost deposit
| National | Central Scotland | Glasgow | Highlands & Islands | Lothian | Mid-Scotland & Fife | North East Scotland | South Scotland | West Scotland |
| Ayr | Carrick, Cumnock & Doon Valley | Clydesdale | Dumfriesshire | East Lothian | Ettrick, Roxburgh & Berwickshire | Galloway & West Dumfries | Kilmarnock & Irvine Valley | Midlothian South, Tweeddale & Lauderdale |