Current MSP: Rob Gibson (SNP) [MSP website]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | +/– | % | +/– | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNP | Rob Gibson ^ | 13843 | +4363 | 48.4 | +16.6 | |
| Liberal Democrat | Robbie Rowantree | 6385 | -5645 | 22.3 | -18.1 | |
| Labour | John MacKay | 5438 | +1496 | 19.0 | +5.8 | |
| Conservative | Edward Mountain | 2934 | -354 | 10.3 | -0.8 | |
| Majority | 7458 | Turnout | 28600 | Swing | +17.3% | SNP gain |
Typically a Lib Dem and SNP two-horse race, this Highlands and Islands seat went the way of Rob Gibson in 2011; probably helped by the fact that retiring Lib Dem MSP Jamie Stone’s brother backed him during the campaign. This seat saw the second biggest swing to the SNP in 2011, only exceeded by the First Minister himself. Rowantree stood for the Lib Dems this year, but in 2001 and 2005 had been a Conservative candidate.
Notes: Given boundary changes since 2007, variations in votes and share between seats with different boundaries would be misleading. We use the Denver figures, essentially a calculation of the 2007 votes cast within 2011 boundaries. More information on this here.
Symbols used:
* – Incumbent
^ – Challenger holding a list seat in previous Parliament
# – Lost deposit
| National | Central Scotland | Glasgow | Highlands & Islands | Lothian | Mid-Scotland & Fife | North East Scotland | South Scotland | West Scotland |
| Argyll & Bute | Caithness, Sutherland & Ross | Inverness & Nairn | Moray | Na h’Eileanan an Iar | Orkney Islands | Shetland Islands | Skye, Lochaber & Badenoch |