First Minister Rhun ap Iorwerth laid out six constitutional demands on 19 May 2026: justice and policing, the Crown Estate, rail infrastructure, water, social security, and a fair funding formula. The Welsh Government won a youth justice concession in the same week, the first statutory power transfer to Wales since 1999.Source: event

Who is the First Minister of Wales after the 2026 election?

Rhun ap Iorwerth of Plaid Cymru became First Minister on 12 May 2026, the first non-Labour head of the Welsh Government since devolution. His minority government relies on confidence and supply from two Wales Green MSs.Source: event

What electoral system does Wales now use for the Senedd?

From 2026 the Senedd uses closed-list D'Hondt proportional representation across 16 six-member constituencies, expanding the chamber from 60 to 96 seats. Voters choose a party, not a candidate; internal party list order determines who is elected.Source: event

Background

Wales (Cymru) is a constituent nation of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to the east and the Irish Sea to the north and west. Its population is approximately 3.1 million; Cardiff is the capital and largest city. Wales has been governed under devolution arrangements since 1999, when the first elections to the National Assembly for Wales (now the Senedd Cymru) were held under the Government of Wales Act 1998. The Welsh Government holds legislative and executive powers over health, education, housing, local government, transport, and parts of the environment. The economy is smaller and less productive per head than England's, with structural dependence on public-sector employment and post-industrial communities across the South Wales valleys. Approximately 20% of the Welsh population speaks Welsh, which holds co-official status alongside English. Wales has distinct cultural, sporting, and linguistic traditions informing its political identity. Beyond politics, Wales hosts significant industrial assets: Airbus's composite wing manufacturing facility at Broughton in north-east Wales is a cornerstone of European aerospace supply chains.

On 7 May 2026 Wales held its first election to the expanded 96-seat Senedd under closed-list D'Hondt proportional representation across 16 six-member constituencies, the most significant change to Welsh electoral law since devolution. The result ended 27 years of continuous Welsh Labour government. Plaid Cymru won 43 seats; Welsh Labour fell to just 9, the smallest Welsh Labour group in any devolved chamber since 1910, with First Minister Eluned Morgan losing her own seat in Ceredigion Penfro. Rhun ap Iorwerth's Plaid Cymru minority government took office on 12 May 2026, the first non-Labour head of the Welsh Government since devolution, with confidence and supply from two Wales Green MSs. On 19 May, ap Iorwerth named six constitutional demands to Westminster — justice, the Crown Estate, rail, water, social security, and a fair funding formula — winning a youth justice concession, the first statutory power transfer to Wales since the Government of Wales Act 1999.