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Edinburgh Central Scottish Parliament burgh constituency
Edinburgh Central shown within the Lothians electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created:	1999
MSP:	Sarah Boyack
Party:	Labour
Council area:	City of Edinburgh

Edinburgh Central is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood). It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. Also, however, it is one of nine constituencies in the Lothians electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

The constituency was created with the name and boundaries of a constituency of the Parliament of the United Kingdom (Westminster). The Westminster constituency was later abolished, in 2005. See Edinburgh Central (UK Parliament constituency).

Since 1999, the constituency MSP has been an ex officio member of the Board of Trustees of the National Library of Scotland. From 1925 until 1999, that role had been taken by the Member of Parliament (MP) for the Westminster constituency.

Contents 1 Electoral region 2 Constituency boundaries 2.1 Council area 3 Member of the Scottish Parliament 4 Election results 5 Footnote 5.1 See also

See also Lothians Scottish Parliament region

The other eight constituencies of the Lothians region are Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South, Edinburgh West, Linlithgow, Livingston and Midlothian.

The region covers the City of Edinburgh council area, the West Lothian council area, part of the Midlothian council area, and part of the East Lothian council area.

The Edinburgh Central constituency was created at the same time as the Scottish Parliament, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of an existing Westminster constituency. In 2005, however, Scottish Westminster (House of Commons) constituencies were mostly replaced with new constituencies^[1].

The Holyrood constituency covers a central portion of the City of Edinburgh council area. The rest of the city area is covered by five other constituencies, all also in the Lothians electoral region: Edinburgh North and Leith to the north, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh to the east, Edinburgh South to the south, Edinburgh Pentlands to the southwest, and Edinburgh West to the west.

The Edinburgh East and Musselburgh constituency also covers the Musselburgh portion of the East Lothian council area. The rest of the East Lothian area is covered by the East Lothian constituency, which is in the South of Scotland electoral region.

Election		Member	Party
	1999	Sarah Boyack	Labour
	2003
	2007

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Edinburgh Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Sarah Boyack	9,155	31.1	-1.3
	Liberal Democrats	Siobhan Mathers	7,962	27.1	+4.3
	Scottish National Party	Shirley-Anne Somerville	7,496	25.5	+7.8
	Conservative Party	Fiona Houston	4,783	16.3	-0.8
Majority			1,193	4.1	-5.42
Turnout			29,396	52.9	+6.8
	Labour Party hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Edinburgh Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Sarah Boyack	9,066	32.36	−5.66
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Myles	6,400	22.85	+6.31
	Scottish National Party	Kevin Pringle	4,965	17.72	−7.93
	Conservative Party	Peter Finnie	4,802	17.14	+1.05
	Scottish Socialist Party	Catriona Grant	2,552	9.11	+6.89
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	James O'Neill	229	0.82	+0.82
Majority			2,666	9.52	−2.85
Turnout			28,014	46.06	−10.67
	Labour Party hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Edinburgh Central
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Labour Party	Sarah Boyack	14,224	38.02	N/A
	Scottish National Party	Ian McKee	9,598	25.65	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Andy Myles	6,187	16.54	N/A
	Conservative Party	Jacqui Low	6,018	16.09	N/A
	Scottish Socialist Party	Kevin Williamson	830	2.22	N/A
Majority			4,626	12.37	N/A
Turnout
	Labour Party hold		Swing

1. ^ See The 5th Periodical Report of the Boundary Commission for Scotland

• Politics of Edinburgh

v • d • e Electoral regions and Constituencies of the Scottish Parliament
Central Scotland	Airdrie and Shotts · Coatbridge and Chryston · Cumbernauld and Kilsyth · East Kilbride · Falkirk East · Falkirk West · Hamilton North and Bellshill · Hamilton South · Kilmarnock and Loudoun · Motherwell and Wishaw
Glasgow	Glasgow Anniesland · Glasgow Baillieston · Glasgow Cathcart · Glasgow Govan · Glasgow Kelvin · Glasgow Maryhill · Glasgow Pollok · Glasgow Rutherglen · Glasgow Shettleston · Glasgow Springburn
Highlands and Islands	Argyll and Bute · Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross · Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber · Moray · Orkney · Ross, Skye and Inverness West · Shetland · Western Isles
Lothians	Edinburgh Central · Edinburgh East and Musselburgh · Edinburgh North and Leith · Edinburgh Pentlands · Edinburgh South · Edinburgh West · Linlithgow · Livingston · Midlothian
Mid Scotland and Fife	Central Fife  · Dunfermline East · Dunfermline West · Kirkcaldy · North East Fife · North Tayside · Ochil · Perth · Stirling
North East Scotland	Aberdeen Central · Aberdeen North · Aberdeen South · Angus · Banff and Buchan · Dundee East · Dundee West · Gordon · West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine
South of Scotland	Ayr · Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley · Clydesdale · Cunninghame South · Dumfries · East Lothian · Galloway and Upper Nithsdale · Roxburgh and Berwickshire · Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale
West of Scotland	Clydebank and Milngavie · Cunninghame North · Dumbarton · Eastwood · Greenock and Inverclyde · Paisley North · Paisley South · Strathkelvin and Bearsden · West Renfrewshire