The 2021 Senedd Cymru elections took place on the 6th May, the sixth general election since the Welsh Parliament’s conception in 1999.
How does the election work?
Voters are electing 60 Members of the Senedd, 40 representing specific constituencies and 20 representing the five regions of Wales: North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South Wales West, South Wales Central and South Wales East.
Voters have two votes each: one for their local constituency and one for their region.
The electorate consists of around 2.3 million people, now including 16 and 17 years olds who will be voting for the first time.
Due to the pandemic and the requirement for social distancing, results are expected to be released slower with counting beginning the following day – rather than overnight, as usual.
In order to lead the Senedd – formerly known as the Welsh Assembly – without aid from the opposition, a party will need to secure 30 seats.
The Main Parties’ Pledges
Welsh Labour
First Minister Mark Drakeford has lead Welsh Labour since 2018. In the 2016 elections, the party won 29 seats but secured a majority with the support of Liberal Democrat MS Kirsty Williams and ex-Plaid Cymru politician Lord Elis-Thomas.
The party’s manifesto consists of six key pledges:
- A Covid Recovery plan to boost the NHS and educational attainment in Wales.
- A promise to offer all under 25s training, education or work. Including 125,000 new apprenticeships.
- To raise carer’s salaries to a “Real Living Wage”.
- To “abolish single-use plastics” as well as creating a Welsh National Forest.
- Recruitment of more PCSOs.
- The creation of job opportunities “in a carbon house building revolution” will aim to “deliver 20,000 new low carbon social homes for rent”.
Welsh Conservatives
Andrew RT Davies was reappointed leader of the Welsh Conservative Party in January after Paul Davies resigned after breaking Covid-19 regulations.
The Conservative manifesto sets out plans for building the M4 relief road, which has been a contentious issue in Welsh politics since 1991. The party also pledges to build 100,000 new homes – including 40,000 social houses – with the aim for them to be carbon neutral by 2026.
Plaid Cymru
Plaid Cymru – Party of Wales – lead by Adam Price, claims to offer Wales “a truly radical and ambitious programme”, with the aim to place “Wales’ future in Wales’ hands”. The question of independence, then, is a huge focus for the national party, with the pledge to deliver a referendum on the matter by 2026 if elected. The party’s manifesto also promises to tackle child poverty, invest in 4,500 “extra teachers and support staff” as well as guarantee jobs or training for all 16-24-year-olds.
Welsh Liberal Democrats
Lead by Jane Dodds, the Welsh Liberal Democrats aim to deliver £500 million funding to save high streets and small businesses. They also pledge a £1 billion annual investment to tackle the climate emergency, including the creation of “new green jobs”. The Welsh Liberal Democrats will also focus on the current mental health crisis, creating a new around-the-clock service “to ensure people can receive care when they need it”.
Welsh Green Party
The Welsh Green Party, with Anthony Slaughter as leader, pledge to make Wales carbon zero by 2030 if they’re elected by creating thousands of jobs in the green economy. They also promise to invest in local healthcare services to “secure the future of the NHS”. The Welsh Green Party have also recently voted to back Welsh independence.
Reform Party UK
Reform Party UK was formed in 2018 as the Brexit Party and was renamed in January. The party’s main policies include ensuring no more lockdowns, clearing “the NHS backlog caused by Covid” and allowing parents to take their children on holiday for up to ten days during term time without repercussion.
Gwlad
Gwlad – meaning ‘nation’ or ‘country’ – are another pro-independence party that aims to make Wales “an independent sovereign state”. Leader Gwyn Wigley Evans has also pledged to expand Welsh-medium education, with the aim to make Welsh-speaking “the norm in every part of Wales”.
Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party
Abolish the Welsh Assembly plan to do just that, offering a referendum on the subject should they be elected. The party want to prevent Wales from “sleepwalking towards independence” as well as end the government’s current target of 1 million Welsh speakers by 2050.
Propel
Propel, like Reform Party UK, also pledge to end lockdowns in Wales. Lead by Neil McEvoy, the party also proposes the introduction of a Welsh Bill of Rights in which to enshrine “the rights and freedoms of the individual” in Wales.
UKIP Wales
Lead by Neil Hamilton, UKIP Wales pledge to scrap the Senedd. They also promise to redirect the “billions” sent abroad in foreign aid into the NHS as well as to introduce proportional voting.
Communist Party of Great Britain
The Communist Party of Great Britain’s major pledge is the creation of a “federal Britain” in which Wales would be self-governing. As well as this, they promise to nationalise the railways and bus services and build 10,000 social houses a year.
Other parties running include Freedom Alliance, No More Lockdowns, Workers Party of Britain, Welsh Christian Party, Llais Gwynedd, Socialist Party of Great Britain and Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition.
What impact will the pandemic have on the elections?
As expected, Covid-19 has dominated debates and manifestos, with Drakeford often facing pressure from the opposition regarding his approach to lockdown.
Additionally, due to the pandemic, the turnout for the election is rather unpredictable, especially as turnout is usually low for Wales-only elections normally. However, this may be balanced by the 70,000 16 and 17-year-olds now eligible to participate in elections in Wales.
The impact of lockdown and the pandemic on voters remains to be seen.
The Question of Independence
With those who “definitely oppose” independence reaching an all-time low of just 50%, the question of Welsh Independence has also played a significant role in this election cycle.
Wales’ second-largest party by membership, Plaid Cymru – as well as the Greens – fully support offering a referendum on the matter, whereas First Minister Mark Drakeford looks upon the idea negatively.
Cymru – the pro-independence campaign group – witnessed a huge surge in memberships in 2020, jumping from 2,000 members in January to 17,000 a year later.
The results of these Senedd elections will likely reveal whether the Welsh electorate is now favouring pro-independence parties.
Nia Thomas
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Featured image courtesy of Senedd Cymru via Flickr. Image license found here. No changes were made to the image.