North East Fife (Scottish Parliament constituency) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids North East Fife |
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| county constituency for the Scottish Parliament |
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North East Fife shown within the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
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| Population | 75,226 (2019) |
| Current constituency | |
| Created | 1999 |
| Party | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| MSP | Willie Rennie |
| Council area | Fife |
North East Fife is an area in Scotland that elects one person to the Scottish Parliament. This special area is called a constituency. The Scottish Parliament, also known as Holyrood, is where laws are made for Scotland.
The person elected from North East Fife is called a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP). They are chosen using a system called "first past the post." This means the candidate with the most votes wins.
North East Fife is also part of a larger area called the Mid Scotland and Fife electoral region. This region elects extra MSPs to make sure different political views are represented fairly. Since 2016, the MSP for North East Fife has been Willie Rennie. He used to be the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats party.
Contents
What is an Electoral Region?
An electoral region is a bigger area that groups several constituencies together. The Mid Scotland and Fife region includes North East Fife and eight other constituencies. These are:
- Clackmannanshire and Dunblane
- Dunfermline
- Cowdenbeath
- Kirkcaldy
- Mid Fife and Glenrothes
- Perthshire North
- Perthshire South and Kinross-shire
- Stirling
This region covers all of the Clackmannanshire, Fife, Perth and Kinross, and Stirling council areas.
Understanding Constituency Boundaries
The area of Fife has five constituencies in the Scottish Parliament. These are Cowdenbeath, Dunfermline, Kirkcaldy, Mid Fife and Glenrothes, and North East Fife.
The North East Fife constituency was first created in 1999. Its boundaries were the same as an older constituency that sent a representative to the UK Parliament in London. However, in 2005, many Scottish UK Parliament constituencies changed. The Fife North East UK Parliament constituency became a bit larger.
Since the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, the North East Fife constituency for the Scottish Parliament has been made up of these smaller areas, called electoral wards, all within Fife:
- Cupar
- East Neuk and Landward
- Howe of Fife and Tay Coast
- St Andrews
- Tay Bridgehead
Who Represents North East Fife?
The person who represents North East Fife in the Scottish Parliament is called an MSP. Here's a list of the MSPs who have represented this area:
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Iain Smith | Liberal Democrats | |
| 2011 | Roderick Campbell | SNP | |
| 2016 | Willie Rennie | Liberal Democrats | |
Election Results Overview
Elections are held to choose the MSP for North East Fife. The results show how many people voted for each candidate and party.
In the most recent election, the 2021 Scottish Parliament election, Willie Rennie of the Scottish Liberal Democrats won the seat. He received 22,163 votes, which was 55.1% of all votes cast. The Scottish National Party candidate came in second with 14,715 votes.
The turnout for this election was 68.9%, meaning that almost 7 out of 10 eligible voters participated. This was a higher turnout than in previous elections.
