| Edinburgh Western | |
| Type: | burgh |
| Constituency Link: | Scottish Parliament constituencies and regions |
| Parl Name: | Scottish Parliament |
| Year: | 2011 |
| Previous: | Edinburgh West |
| Party Label: | Party |
| Party: | Scottish Liberal Democrats |
| Member Label: | MSP |
| Member: | Alex Cole-Hamilton |
| Local Council Label: | Council area |
| Local Council: | City of Edinburgh |
| Population: | 85,095 (2019)[1] |
Edinburgh Western (Gaelic: Dùn Èideann an Iar) is a constituency of the Scottish Parliament (Holyrood) covering part of the City of Edinburgh council area. It elects one Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) by the plurality (first past the post) method of election. It is one of nine constituencies in the Lothian electoral region, which elects seven additional members, in addition to the nine constituency MSPs, to produce a form of proportional representation for the region as a whole.
The constituency was created in 2011, when it replaced the former Edinburgh West constituency.
The seat has been held by Alex Cole-Hamilton of the Scottish Liberal Democrats since the 2016 Scottish Parliament election.
See also: Lothian (Scottish Parliament electoral region).
The other eight constituencies of the Lothian region are: Almond Valley, Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Southern, Linlithgow and Midlothian North and Musselburgh.
The region includes all of the City of Edinburgh council area, parts of the East Lothian council area, parts of the Midlothian council area and all of the West Lothian council area.
The City of Edinburgh council area is represented in the Scottish Parliament by six constituencies: Edinburgh Central, Edinburgh Eastern, Edinburgh Northern and Leith, Edinburgh Pentlands, Edinburgh Southern and Edinburgh Western.
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.[2]
For the 2011 Scottish Parliament election, Edinburgh West was redrawn and renamed "Edinburgh Western". The electoral wards used in this seat are:[3]
As Edinburgh Western
| Election | Member | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Colin Keir | SNP | |
| 2016 | Alex Cole-Hamilton | Liberal Democrats | |
In 2021, Edinburgh Western set the record for the most votes ever cast for a single candidate in a Scottish Parliament election.[4]