1999 National Assembly for Wales election in the context of Welsh Liberal Democrats


1999 National Assembly for Wales election in the context of Welsh Liberal Democrats

⭐ Core Definition: 1999 National Assembly for Wales election

The 1999 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 6 May 1999 to elect 60 members to the Senedd, at the time called the National Assembly for Wales (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru). It was the first devolved general election held in Wales after the successful 1997 Welsh devolution referendum. The election was held alongside the Scottish Parliament election (also the first of its kind) and English local elections.

Although Welsh Labour were the biggest party, they did not gain enough seats to form a majority government and instead entered into coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The election was marked by the historically high level of support for Plaid Cymru, who won their highest share of the vote in any Wales-wide election and remains their highest number of seats in a Senedd election to date. The party won considerable support in traditionally safe Labour areas such as the South Wales Valleys, winning Rhondda and Islwyn and narrowly failing to win a number of other seats.

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1999 National Assembly for Wales election in the context of Plaid Cymru

Plaid Cymru (English: /pld ˈkʌmri/ plyde KUM-ree, Welsh: [plaid ˈkəmrɨ]; lit.'Party of Wales', officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. It campaigns on a platform of social democracy and civic nationalism. The party is a supporter of the European Union and is a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA). The party holds 4 of 32 Welsh seats in the UK House of Commons, 14 of 60 seats in the Senedd, and 200 of 1,234 principal local authority councillors. Plaid was formed in 1925 under the name Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru ('the national party of Wales') and Gwynfor Evans won the first Westminster seat for the party at the 1966 Carmarthen by-election.

In 1999 (in the first devolved Welsh Assembly election), Plaid Cymru gained considerable ground in traditionally Labour heartlands. These breakthroughs were part of the intentional aim to win more seats in the Welsh valleys and North East Wales, which continues to be an ambition today. The party have mostly been in opposition in the Senedd. Although under the leadership of Ieuan Wyn Jones, the party was part of a coalition as a junior partner with Welsh Labour (See: One Wales, Morgan and Jones governments) between 2007 and 2011. Wyn Jones became the deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, other Plaid Cymru Assembly members were also part of the cabinets.

View the full Wikipedia page for Plaid Cymru
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1999 National Assembly for Wales election in the context of Senedd constituencies and electoral regions

The Senedd constituencies and electoral regions (Welsh: Etholaethau a Rhanbarthau etholiadol Senedd Cymru) are the electoral districts used to elect members of the Senedd (MS; Welsh: Aelodau'r Senedd or AS) to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru), and have been used in some form since the first election of the then National Assembly for Wales in 1999.

There are currently forty single-member constituencies and five four-member regions. The five electoral regions are: Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East, and South Wales West, with the forty constituencies listed below. Voting last took place in all districts in the 2021 Senedd election, and is not used for local government. The current boundaries were introduced for the 2007 Assembly election.

View the full Wikipedia page for Senedd constituencies and electoral regions
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