page_title: Donald Dewar
section_title: First Minister of Scotland
hierarchical_section_title: Donald Dewar / Member of Parliament / First Minister of Scotland
caption_attribution_description: English: Her Majesty The Queen (centre) accompanied by the first First Minister of Scotland Donald Dewar MSP (left) and Presiding Officer Sir David Steel MSP (right) make their way out of the General Assembly building to greet the crowds before making their way to watch The Riding process down the Mound during the celebrations to mark the Opening of the Scottish Parliament on 1 July 1999.
context_page_description: Donald Campbell Dewar was a Scottish Labour Party politician who served as First Minister of Scotland and Leader of the Scottish Labour Party from 1999 to 2000. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland from 1997 to 1999 and was a Member of Parliament for three constituencies from 1966 to 1970 and 1978 to 2000.
  Dewar first entered politics in the early 1960s, and was elected as the Labour Member of Parliament for Aberdeen South following the 1966 general election. After losing his seat in 1970, he served in the House of Commons again from 1978 until his death in 2000. Dewar was an advocate of Scottish devolution. He served as Secretary of State for Scotland in British Prime Minister Tony Blair's Cabinet from 1997 to 1999, successfully campaigning for a Scottish Parliament in the 1997 Scottish devolution referendum.
context_section_description: In January 1998, he confirmed that he would stand for a seat in the Scottish Parliament. 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 Scottish National Party led by Alex Salmond.
  He was elected as the Member of the Scottish Parliament (MSP) for Glasgow Anniesland, having the unusual distinction of being both an MP and MSP for the same 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.
  On 13 May 1999, Dewar was nominated as First Minister, and was officially appointed by the Queen on 17 May at a ceremony in the Palace of Holyroodhouse. He later travelled to the Court of Session to be sworn in by the Lord President and receive the Great Seal of Scotland.
  On 16 June, Dewar set out the legislative programme for the Executive which included: an Education bill to improve standards in Scottish schools; land reform to give right of access to the countryside, a bill to abolish the feudal system of land tenure; and a bill to establish National Parks in Scotland.
caption: Dewar (left) with Queen Elizabeth II and Presiding Officer David Steel (right) at the opening of the Scottish Parliament, July 1999
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