ANAS Sarwar has reiterated his plan to launch a commission to "clean up Holyrood" and restore trust in the Scottish Parliament.
The Scottish Labour leader urged parties to work together and described the Alex Salmond inquiry, which came to a head shortly before the election, as a "procedural farce".
The inquiry was dogged by accusations of partisan bias and the Scottish Government was repeatedly attacked for what opposition members described as a lack of transparency.
As well as setting up a new independent ethics commission, Mr Sarwar said his party will seek to reform the Holyrood committee process, giving them the power to compel witnesses to appear and ensuring conveners are elected by all MSPs.
Speaking on the day new members are sworn in at the Scottish Parliament, Mr Sarwar said: "Today MSPs old and new will give their oaths and begin the sixth term of our Parliament.
"We have so much to be proud of in this place, we are more diverse than ever before and are beginning the process of looking more like Scotland.
"But we have also seen institutional failures that have reduced our politics to a circus.
"We cannot allow the procedural farce that defined the Salmond inquiry to continue for five more years.
"So I would urge all MSPs - and especially my colleagues in the SNP - to look at strengthening the scrutiny powers of Holyrood.
"We can take the first steps to reuniting the country and restoring faith in our politics, but only if we commit together to make serious changes."
The Labour leader said he would like to explore splitting up the dual role of the Lord Advocate - who serves both as the top legal adviser to the Scottish Government and as the head of public prosecutions.
Other ideas include introducing parliamentary privilege for MSPs, giving them the same protections as MPs.
A right of recall for MSPs - meaning members would effectively be fired for unacceptable conduct - will also be considered.
The latter has been a hot topic following the downfall of former SNP Finance Secretary Derek Mackay over messages he sent to a 16-year-old boy.
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