People of Wales cast their votes in the National Assembly election
5 May 2011
The people of Wales have chosen who they want to represent them for the next five years in the National Assembly.
The election followed the referendum in March on enhanced law-making powers in the 20 devolved areas including health, education and the environment. As a result, the sixty new Assembly Members will be able to make laws for Wales without needing to seek permission from Westminster.
“The votes have been cast and now we know who will represent Wales in this Assembly,” said Presiding Officer, Dafydd Elis-Thomas AM.
“These sixty Members will now help shape the future of Wales on their constituents’ behalf and will be able to do so more effectively as a result of the Assembly’s increased legislative competence.
“The forthcoming Assembly will aim to engage more effectively than ever with a range of communities across Wales through the work of our committees, our petitions system and using a range of communications channels.”
The result of the National Assembly election means there will be 30 Labour AMs, 14 from the Conservatives, 11 from Plaid Cymru and 5 Liberal Democrat Members.
For more details of the Members in your area click here.
The Assembly will meet the week commencing 9 May (exact date to follow) to elect a Presiding Officer and Deputy Presiding Officer for the next five years. Assembly Members then have 28 days to elect a First Minister.
For more details of what happens next, see Guide to Early Business (PDF)
The rules governing Assembly business have also been refreshed in order to increase participation in the law-making process and allow greater flexibility in the way the Assembly works. These changes include:
Assembly Members, who are not members of the government, will get more scope and time to bring forward issues for debate;
There will be earlier ballots for debates from non-government Members in order to allow them more time to prepare, e.g. by more consultation with external stakeholders;
There will be an optional extra layer of scrutiny in the legislative process to allow further amendments after the existing Stage 3;
Members will be required to register how much time they dedicate to posts and duties outside of their Assembly responsibilities for which they receive payment.
For further details see Standing Orders (PDF)