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Edinburgh West Scottish Parliament burgh constituency
Edinburgh West shown within the Lothians electoral region and the region shown within Scotland
Created:	1999
MSP:	Margaret Smith (Scottish politician)
Party:	Liberal Democrats
Council area:	City of Edinburgh

Edinburgh West 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.

Contents 1 Electoral region 2 Constituency boundaries and council area 2.1 Wards 3 Description of the constituency 4 Members of the Scottish Parliament 5 Election results 6 Footnotes 6.1 See also

See also Lothians Scottish Parliament region

The other eight constituencies of the Lothians region are Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh, Edinburgh North and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh South, 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 West 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 western 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, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh East and Musselburgh and Edinburgh South,

Edinburgh West has boundaries with the Edinburgh North and Leith constituency, the Edinburgh Central constituency, and the Edinburgh Pentlands constituency.

Edinburgh East and Musselburgh 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.

Edinburgh West includes the wards of Cramond, Dalmeny and Kirkliston, Davidson's Mains, East Craigs, Gyle, Muirhouse and Drylaw, Murrayfield, North East Corstorphine, South Queensferry, South East Corstorphine, and Stenhouse, part of the Craigleith ward, which is split with Edinburgh Central, and part of the Pilton ward, which is split with Edinburgh North and Leith. The wards were created in 1999, at the same time as the constituency, and are due to be replaced with new wards in 2007, without change to constituency boundaries.

Edinburgh West is mostly suburban, but takes in rural areas to the west. It includes Cramond, Davidson's Mains, East Craigs, Gyle, Murrayfield, Ratho, South Queensferry, a part of the Craigleith area and a part of the Pilton area.

Election		Member	Party
	1999	Margaret Smith	Liberal Democrat
	2003
	2007

Scottish Parliament election, 2007: Edinburgh West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Margaret Smith	13,677	39.4	-3.9
	Scottish National Party	Sheena Cleland	7,791	22.4	+10.0
	Conservative Party	Gordon Lindhurst	7,361	21.2	-4.4
	Labour Party	Richard Meade	5,343	15.4	+0.2
Majority			5,886	16.9
Turnout			34,752	57.9	+2.5
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 2003: Edinburgh West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Margaret Smith	14,434	43.34	+6.88
	Conservative Party	James Douglas-Hamilton	8,520	25.58	+0.14
	Labour Party	Carol Fox	5,046	15.15	−6.16
	Scottish National Party	Alyn Smith	4,133	12.41	−5.61
	Scottish Socialist Party	Pat Smith	993	2.98	+2.98
	Scottish Peoples Alliance	Bruce Skivington	175	0.53	+0.53
Majority			5,914	17.76	+6.74
Turnout			33,301	55.38	−11.97
	Liberal Democrats hold		Swing

Scottish Parliament election, 1999: Edinburgh West
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Liberal Democrats	Margaret Smith	15,161	36.46	N/A
	Conservative Party	James Douglas-Hamilton	10,578	25.44	N/A
	Labour Party	Carol Fox	8,860	21.31	N/A
	Scottish National Party	Graham Sutherland	6,984	16.80	N/A
Majority			4,583	11.02	N/A
Turnout

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