Alison Johnstone
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Alison Johnstone is a Scottish politician who has served as the Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament since 2021. Elected as a member of the Scottish Greens, she relinquished her party affiliation on becoming Presiding Officer. She has been a Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for the Lothian region since 2011.
Official portrait, 2021
Johnstone (Middle) with then Green Party of England and Wales leader, Natalie Bennett (left), and Maggie Chapman (right).
Johnstone at AJ Divest Rally, 2015
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
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The presiding officer of the Scottish Parliament is the presiding officer and speaker of the Scottish Parliament. The office of presiding officer was established by the Scotland Act 1998, and the elected presiding officer is a member of the Scottish Parliament who is elected by the Scottish Parliament by means of an exhaustive ballot, and is ex officio the head of the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The presiding officer is considered a figurehead of the Scottish Parliament and has an office in Queensberry House.
Presiding Officer of the Scottish Parliament
The Presiding Officer presides over the monarch's speech at the opening of each session of the Scottish Parliament
Presiding Officer Alison Johnstone presides over the first speech to the Scottish Parliament by King Charles III
Image: Sir David Steel MSP