Labour and the SNP were virtually neck and neck throughout vote counting yesterday and today, with the SNP making major inroads in some key Labour strongholds, but the SNP has finally come out on top as the largest party.
SNP victories included Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon in Gordon and Glasgow Govan respectively, and the party also won Stirling, Kilmarnock and Loudon, Central Fife and Cunninghame North, displacing Deputy Enterprise Minister Allan Wilson by a majority of just 48.
Other MSPs in the last Parliament who will not be returning this time include Labour's Margaret Jamieson, Alasdair Morrison, Bristow Muldoon, Sylvia Jackson, Scott Barrie and Christine May, Liberal Democrat former minister Euan Robson, the SSP's Carolyn Leckie, Solidarity's Tommy Sheridan, Independent Jean Turner and the Scottish Senior Citizens' Unity Party's John Swinburne.
Deputy Finance Minister George Lyon is also out, having lost his seat of Argyll and Bute to the SNP's Jim Mather.
Former Dundee City Council leader Jill Shimi failed to win the seat of Dundee West and Dundee is now an SNP city. Edinburgh East has also fallen to the SNP, with candidate Kenny MacAskill winning over former East Lothian Council leader Norman Murray.
Labour failed to secure Falkirk West, the seat of popular Independent MSP Dennis Canavan, who has stood down, along with Lord James Douglas-Hamilton, Susan Deacon, Phil Gallie, Kate Mclean, Bruce McFee, Janis Hughes and Brian Monteith.
The Conservative party won Roxburgh and Berwickshire from the Liberal Democrats and Labour lost Dunfermline West to the Liberal Democrats.
The final results were that the SNP has 47 places and Labour 46, whichraises questions about how easy it will be to strike a coalition deal.
The Green Party were thought to be possible kingmakers in any rainbow coalition deals, but have returned only two candidates, Patrick Harvie in Glasgow, and Robin Harper in Edinburgh, so it looks like much will rest with the decision of Liberal Democrat leader Nicol Stephen.
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