The 2016 Welsh Assembly election reshaped the political landscape through a unique voting system
In short: In 2016, voters in Wales participated in a landmark election for the National Assembly, now known as the Senedd. Using a mixed-member system, the results saw significant shifts in party representation, the rise of new voices, and a notable change in how candidates could campaign for both constituency and regional seats.
The 2016 election, held on May 5, was the fifth of its kind and the first conducted under the Wales Act 2014. This legislation introduced critical changes, including a ban on dual mandates, meaning Assembly Members could no longer serve simultaneously in the House of Commons. Additionally, the act removed the previous prohibition against candidates standing for both a constituency seat and a regional list, allowing for more flexible campaigning strategies. The election itself had been delayed by one year from 2015 to 2016 to avoid clashing with other major polls, as mandated by the Fixed-term Parliaments Act 2011.
The electoral process utilizes a mixed-member system where voters cast two ballots: one for a local constituency representative via first-past-the-post, and another for a regional closed party list. These regional seats are allocated using the d'Hondt method, which incorporates constituency results to ensure the final composition of the Assembly is approximately proportional. This structure allows for a diverse range of parties to gain representation, as evidenced by the UK Independence Party, which secured seven seats through the regional list despite winning no constituency contests.
The outcome of the 2016 vote was historic, as it marked the first time the three major UK-wide parties—Labour, the Conservatives, and the Liberal Democrats—all lost seats. Labour remained the largest party with 29 seats, though it fell two short of an overall majority. Plaid Cymru emerged as the second-largest party, overtaking the Conservatives, who lost three seats. The assembly also saw a significant turnover, with 23 of the 60 elected members being new to the chamber. The final makeup of the assembly included 35 men and 25 women, reflecting a slight increase in female representation compared to 2011, though still below the gender parity achieved in 2003.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: 2016 National Assembly for Wales election
- Also: National Assembly for Wales Elections: 2016
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