Page "Donald Dewar" Paragraph 12

The first elections to the Scottish Parliament were held on 6 May 1999, with Dewar leading the Scottish Labour Party against their main opponents, the SNP under Alex Salmond.

He was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament ( MSP ) for Glasgow Anniesland, becoming both MP and MSP for this constituency.

Although Scottish Labour won more seats than any other party, they did not have a majority in Parliament to allow them to form an Executive without the help of a smaller party.

A deal was agreed with the Scottish Liberal Democrats to form a coalition, with Dewar agreeing to their demand for the abolition of up-front tuition fees for university students.