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First Minister of Scotland

First Minister of Scotland
PostFirst Minister
BodyScotland
InsigniaScottish Government logo.png
Insigniasize125px
InsigniacaptionLogo of the Scottish Government
IncumbentAlex Salmond MSP
Incumbentsince16 May 2007
StyleThe Right Honourable
ResidenceBute House
Edinburgh, Scotland
AppointerElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
as the Sovereign
TermlengthScottish Parliamentary Elections are held every four years. The First Minister is by convention the leader of the victorious party. No term limits are imposed on the office.
Formation7 May 1999
InauguralDonald Dewar

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The First Minister of Scotland ( ; ) is the political leader of Scotland and head of the Scottish Government. The First Minister chairs the Scottish Cabinet and is primarily responsible for the formulation, development and presentation of Scottish Government policy. Additional functions of the First Minister include promoting and representing Scotland, in an official capacity, at home and abroad and responsibility for constitutional affairs, as they relate to devolution and the Scottish Government.

The First Minister is a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) and nominated by the Scottish Parliament before being officially appointed by the monarch. Members of the Cabinet and junior ministers of the Scottish Government as well as the Scottish law officers, are appointed by the First Minister. As head of the Scottish Government, the First Minister is directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament for his or her actions and the actions of the wider government.

Alex Salmond, of the Scottish National Party (SNP) is the current First Minister of Scotland. He was elected as the Parliament's nominee for First Minister on 16 May 2007 and was sworn in at the Court of Session the following day.


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