THE Liberal Democrats have held the Orkney constituency – the first to declare in the Scottish Parliament election.

Liam McArthur will return to Holyrood to represent the safe seat after claiming 7,238 votes.

The SNP was in second place with 3369 votes, followed by the Scottish Conservatives on 699 and Scottish Labour on 290.

A total of 11,621 votes were cast, 65.4% of the electorate.

READ MORE: LIVE: Scottish elections: All the news as seats are declared

The LibDem vote was down 5 points, while the SNP's support was up 4.8% on 2016. 

Meanwhile the SNP's Jackie Dunbar held Aberdeen Donside, with 51.6% of the vote.

The National:

The constituency, formerly held by Mark McDonald, saw a turnout of 58.2%. 

SNP support was down 4.4 points while the Tory vote share was up 8 points. 

READ MORE: LIVE Scottish Parliament election tracker: Maps and charts show results so far

Meanwhile there are reports of increased voter turnout across Scotland. 

The SNP’s Westminster leader Ian Blackford tweeted: “The news that turnout is up across Scotland is a victory for democracy and shows people are engaged in this historic election.

“I’m proud (the SNP) extended the vote to 16 & 17 year olds, refugees and foreign nationals with leave to remain – with many voting for the first time.”