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WALES
 COUNTRY  Wales
[a division under the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland]
 ELECTION TYPE  Parliamentary
 DATE  May 1, 2003
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At stake in this election:
  • 60 seats in the Welsh Parliament
Description of government structure (for the United Kingdom):
  • Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II
  • Head of Government: Prime Minister Anthony BLAIR
  • Assembly: The Scottish parliament consists of 129 seats with 73 of its members representing the constituencies and 56 seats representing the regions (there are 8 regions in Scotland, each with 7 representatives
Description of electoral structure:
  • Forty members are elected from single-member constituencies. Twenty members are elected via proportional representation from five regions. Each region has four members. Voters cast two votes, one for their constituencies, and one for their regions.
  • All members in the Scottish Parliament serve a term of four years.
Results of the electoral race:

  • Party: Labour Party
    Leader: Rhodri MORGAN
    Seats won in this election: 30
    Seats won in the last election: 30
  • Party: Plaid Cymru (Party of Wales)
    Leader: Ieuan Wyn JONES
    Seats won in this election: 12
    Seats won in the last election: 15
  • Party: Conservative Party
    Leader: Nick BOURNE
    Seats won in this election: 11
    Seats won in the last election: 9
  • Party: Liberal Democrats
    Leader: Michael GERMAN
    Seats won in this election: 6
    Seats won in the last election: 6
When was the last election?
  • Parliamentary elections were last held in Wales on May 6, 1999.
Population and number of registered voters:
  • Population: 2,937,000 (Based on 1999 figures. Please provide an updated figure if available).
  • Number of registered voters: 2,228,697
Of interest:
  • The Welsh Assembly was created under the Government of Wales Act 1998, after the region held a referendum asking voters to approve of a legislative body to govern Wales.
  • In this election a ‘rolling registration’ was used to allow disenfranchised voters such as the homeless, patients, and prisoners the option to cast their ballots. This system requires the electoral register to be updated every month to provide the most accurate registry polls for every election held in Wales.
SOURCE: INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTION SYSTEMS (IFES)
For additional information: IFES ElectionGuide Online
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