First Minister of Scotland

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Template:PoliticsScotland Template:NPOV The First Minister (First Meinister in Scots; Prìomh Mhinistear in Scots Gaelic) is the leader of Scotland's national devolved government, the Scottish Executive, which was established in 1999 along with the devolved Scottish Parliament.

The Executive is presided over by the First Minister, who is selected in a vote of the Scottish Parliament (Scots Pairlament; Pàrlamaid na h-Alba) and then appointed by the Queen.

The inaugural First Minister, Donald Dewar (Labour) styled himself as the Father of the Nation. During his time as Secretary of State for Scotland, his reactions to the campaigning of the Scottish National Party were instrumental in securing Scottish devolution. His brief term in the office he had helped create ended abruptly when he died of a brain haemorrhage. His reputation was subsequently tarnished by the scandal over the financing of the Scottish Parliament Building (in the Holyrood area of Edinburgh), which ran ten times over budget. While still a Westminster MP, and minister in the United Kingdom cabinet, Dewar had been responsible for the rushed, open-ended contracts which allowed costs to spiral out of control (see Holyrood Inquiry - also known as the Fraser Inquiry).

He was replaced by Henry McLeish (Labour) who also served in the position only very briefly being forced to resign after a scandal involving his expense claim whilst a Westminster MP. McLeish denied any intentional wrongdoing, claiming it was a "muddle, rather than a fiddle", but significant pressure was brought to bear upon him and he felt he had no option other than to resign which he did in 2001.

McLeish's replacement was Jack McConnell (Labour) who had stood unsuccessfully against McLeish for leadership of the Scottish Labour Party, which would have effectively guaranteed his confirmation as First Minister then. McConnell said his style of leadership would be characterised by the Scottish Executive attempting to "do less, but do it better". He has now been First Minister for four years. It is not clear what his contribution to the office of First Minister will be, but perhaps the increasing use of Sewel Motions will be his defining legacy.

Despite the nature of McLeish's departure from office, many commentators compare his period as First Minister in a more favourable light than the current incumbent, McConnell. They claim that McLeish had a far more ambitious and independent (of Westminster) style of government than McConnell, citing his success in passing legislation that introduced free personal care for the elderly, and the way in which he sought a more distinctive Scottish voice in the world as evidence for this.

Bute House in Edinburgh's Charlotte Square is the official residence of the First Minister.

The First Minister is Keeper of the Great Seal of Scotland, and his place in the order of precedence in Scotland is determined by that office.