Scottish parties declare election race open as polls show Scottish National Party and Labour neck and neck.

The 2011 Scottish Parliament election, to be held on May 5th, is expected to be a tight two-horse race as recent opinion polls show the SNP and Labour very close in voting intention figures.

SNP leader Alex Salmond has publicly received the endorsement of known businessmen, celebrities and even rival politicians such as former Labour MP Dennis Canavan and Liberal Democrat MSP John Farquhar Munro. The Scottish Sun newspaper, which has the largest daily circulation figures in the country, has also come out in support of the SNP.

Labour leader Iain Gray hasn't had such a good start to the campaign, with polls indicating that three out of four voters did not know who the Scottish Labour leader was. He also suffered the ignominy of having to take shelter in a subway sandwich shop on April 7th after a visit to Glasgow Central station was disrupted by a group calling themselves Citizens United against Public Cuts.

Polls also suggest a backlash against the Liberal Democrat party for their coalition with the Conservatives in London and a rise in the vote for the Scottish Green Party.