Scottish Parliament
Lochhead was elected to the Scottish Parliament at the 1999 election and re-elected at the 2003 election for the North East Scotland Region. In January 2006 he was selected as the SNP candidate for Moray for the 2007 Scottish Parliament elections, following the announcement that Margaret Ewing MSP would be retiring. He beat Margaret Ewing's sister-in-law, former MP Annabelle Ewing in the selection. Ewing's premature death triggered a by-election and Lochhead resigned his additional member seat in April 2006 in order to successfully contest the Moray by-election. This was the first time since the second world war that an incumbent party had retained a by-election seat without losing votes or having their majority or share of the vote lowered.
He is a former convener of the European and External Relations Committee of the Scottish Parliament. In opposition he held the SNP's portfolios on Environment, Energy, Fishing and Rural Affairs in the Scottish Parliament. After the SNP's victory at the 2007 Scottish Parliament Election, Lochhead was appointed the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Fisheries. The related role for Minister for the Environment has been given to Michael Russell. In May 2007, he started his tenure with promises to "relentlessly" pursue the Scottish fishing interests on behalf of fishermen and their communities.
Lochhead was re-elected at the 2011 election with a further increased majority of 10,944.
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