2021 Senedd election

2021 Senedd election

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All 60 seats to the Senedd 31 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Turnout	46.6% 1.2%
First party Second party   Leader Mark Drakeford Andrew RT Davies Party Labour Conservative Leader since 6 December 2018 24 January 2021 Leader's seat Cardiff West South Wales Central Last election 29 seats 11 seats Seats won 30 16 Seat change 1 5 Constituency vote 443,047 289,802 % and swing 39.9% 5.2pp 26.1% 5.0pp Regional vote 401,770 278,560 % and swing 36.2% 4.7pp 25.1% 6.3pp   Third party Fourth party   Leader Adam Price Jane Dodds Party Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats Leader since 28 September 2018 3 November 2017 Leader's seat Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Mid and West Wales Last election 12 seats 1 seat Seats won 13 1 Seat change 1 Constituency vote 225,376 54,202 % and swing 20.3% 0.2pp 4.9% 2.8pp Regional vote 230,161 48,217 % and swing 20.7% 0.1pp 4.3% 2.2pp
First Minister before election Mark Drakeford Labour First Minister after election Mark Drakeford Labour

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The 2021 Senedd election took place on Thursday 6 May 2021^[1] to elect 60 members to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru). It was the sixth devolved general election since the Senedd (formerly the National Assembly for Wales) was established in 1999. The election was held alongside the Scottish Parliament election, English local elections, London Assembly and mayoral election and the Hartlepool by-election.

It was the first election in which 16- and 17-year-olds and legally resident foreign nationals were allowed to vote in Wales, the largest extension of the franchise in Wales since 1969. Both changes were a result of the Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020.^[2] It was also the first election for the legislature under its new name – 'Senedd Cymru' or 'the Welsh Parliament' – and thus this election may be called the 2021 Welsh Parliament election,^[3][4] or 2021 Senedd Cymru election,^[5][6] in preference over the shorter name.

Five parties had Members of the Senedd (MSs, formerly Assembly Members – AMs) elected at the previous election: Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, the UK Independence Party (UKIP), and the Welsh Liberal Democrats. Seven political parties were represented in the Senedd prior to the election. These are the five aforementioned parties and two parties that gained MSs who were elected for – and moved from – other political parties. The Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party gained two MSs who were elected for UKIP in 2016, and Propel (previously the Welsh Nation Party) gained an MS elected for Plaid Cymru in 2016.

The governing Labour Party's share of the constituency vote increased by over 5%, and the regional vote by over 4%, with thirty Labour MSs elected accounting for exactly half of the sixty seats, one more than in 2016 but one short of an overall majority and remaining as the largest party. The Conservatives became the Senedd's second-largest party and the official opposition to the Welsh Government with sixteen MSs elected, five more than their 2016 result. This result is the best that the Conservatives managed to achieve since the Senedd was established. Plaid Cymru slipped down to third place with thirteen MSs elected, one more than in 2016. Coalition partner, the Liberal Democrats lost their single constituency seat from 2016, but gained a regional list seat, keeping their total of one seat, the same as in 2016. UKIP received no seats, down from their seven in the 2016 election. This included seats later transferred to Abolish the Welsh Assembly, who also received no seats.

Voter turnout was 46.6%, a record for a Senedd election.^[7][8][9]