First Minister of Scotland elect its members, it is difficult for a single party to gain an overall majority of seats in the Scottish Parliament. The SNP gained an overall majority of seats in the 2011 election, and thus had enough numbers to vote in its leader, Alex Salmond, as First Minister for a second term. After the election of the Scottish Parliament, a First Minister must be nominated within a period of 28 days. Under the terms of the Scotland Act, if the Parliament fails to nominate a First Minister, within this time frame, it will be dissolved and a fresh election held.
Church of Scotland M. Kesting became the first female minister to be Moderator. There are currently 218 serving female ministers, with 677 male ministers. There is a division in the Church of Scotland on how the issues surrounding LGBT sexuality should be addressed. Currently, the Kirk allows pastors to enter into same-sex marriages and civil partnerships while also defining marriage as between a man and a woman. This division of approach is illustrated by opposition to an attempt to install as minister an openly homosexual man who intends to live with his partner once appointed to his post. In a landmark decision, the