Appointment of a First Minister
16 May 2007
 Alex Salmond MSP has been selected as the Parliament’s nominee as First Minister for
recommendation to Her Majesty The Queen.
In the second round of voting Alex Salmond received 49 votes, and Jack McConnell MSP 46 votes, with 33 abstentions.
Following his selection, Alex Salmond said:
"Let me say to the whole Parliament, what actually matters most to the people we represent, is less the structure of Government and more what we, all of us, achieve, on the People’s behalf.
"Presiding Officer, all of us in this Parliament have a responsibility to conduct ourselves in a way which respects the Parliament the people have chosen to elect.
"That will take patience, maturity, it will take leadership on all sides of the chamber.
 "My pledge to the Parliament today is any Scottish Government led by me will respect and include this Parliament in the governance of Scotland over the next four years.
"In this century there are limits to what governments can achieve.
"But one thing any government I lead will never lack is ambition for Scotland.
"Today I commit myself to leadership wholly and exclusively in the Scottish national interest.
"We will appeal for support policy by policy across this chamber.
"That is the Parliament the people of Scotland have elected, and that is the Government that I will be proud to lead."
The meeting of Parliament was chaired by Presiding Officer Alex Fergusson MSP.
All of the speeches can be read in the Official Report.
 In the first round of voting Annabel Goldie MSP and Nicol Stephen MSP each received 16 votes.
Jack McConnell MSP received 46 votes and Alex Salmond 49, with one abstention.
Parliament is expected to meet at 11.15 am on Thursday 17 May to agree the First Minister's recommendation to Her Majesty The Queen for the appointment of Scottish Ministers and Junior Scottish Ministers.
News release on selection procedures
Members of the Scottish Parliament
Election 2007 information
For further information, the media contact is :
Richard Holligan: 0131 348 5605
RNID Typetalk calls welcome
email: richard.holligan@scottish.parliament.uk
For photography queries contact: photography@scottish.parliament.uk
For public information enquiries, contact: 0131 348 5000 or 0845 278 1999 (local call rate)
Text phone: 0131 348 3415 RNID Typetalk calls welcome
email: sp.info@scottish.parliament.uk
|
back to top