| Election Name: | 2011 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election |
| Country: | Scotland |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2008 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election |
| Previous Year: | 2008 |
| Next Election: | 2021 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election |
| Next Year: | 2021 |
| Image1: | Willie Rennie 2011 (cropped).JPG |
| Candidate1: | Willie Rennie |
| Popular Vote1: | Unopposed |
| Leader | |
| Before Election: | Tavish Scott |
| After Election: | Willie Rennie |
The 2011 Scottish Liberal Democrats leadership election was triggered by the resignation of party leader Tavish Scott on 7 May 2011, due to the very poor showing of the party at the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, in which the Liberal Democrats only returned 5 MSPs and lost 12.[1]
Nominations for party leader closed on 17 May 2011, and with Willie Rennie the only declared candidate, he was elected to the position unopposed.[2]
There were only four other Scottish Liberal Democrat MSPs currently sitting in the Scottish Parliament: Jim Hume, Liam McArthur and Alison McInnes and Tavish Scott, the former party leader. Although Liam McArthur was mentioned as a possible contender, most media believed that it was unlikely that another candidate would stand due to the small size of the party making a leadership contest and ballot undesirable, as turned out to be the case.[4]