Senedd

Also known as Welsh National Assembly, Welsh Assembly, Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru, The National Assembly for Wales, National Assembly for Wales, National Assembly of Wales, Senedd Cymru, Welsh Parliament

The Senedd ( ; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and ' () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, its role is to scrutinise the Welsh Government and legislate on devolved matters that are not reserved to the Parliament of the United Kingdom. It is a bilingual institution, with both Welsh and English being the official languages of its business. From its creation in May 1999 until May 2020, the Senedd was officially known as the National Assembly for Wales () and was often simply called the Welsh Assembly'.

Key facts

Legislature.background_color: AFD697
Legislature.name: Welsh Parliament
Legislature.legislature: 6th Senedd
Legislature.logo_pic: Senedd logo.svgclass=skin-invert
Legislature.logo_res: 300px
Legislature.logo_alt: Emblem of Senedd Cymru
Legislature.house_type: Unicameral
Legislature.term_limits: None
Legislature.foundation: 12 May 1999
Legislature.preceded_by: Welsh Office (1965–1999)
Legislature.new_session: 6 May 2021
Legislature.leader1_type: Monarch

~36 min read

Article

31 sections

Contents

History
Road to devolution
Enhanced powers: The Government of Wales Act 2006
Reserved powers model: The Wales Act 2017
Name change
Expansion
Buildings
Senedd building
Telecasting <span class="anchor" id="Senedd on television"></span>
Tŷ Hywel and Pierhead Building
North Wales Office
Officials
Elected officials
Permanent officials
Powers and status
Powers of the Senedd
Constraints on powers and undermining of devolution
Members, constituencies, and electoral system
Elections
Summary
Notes
Last election
Overall
Turnout
Current composition
Government formation
Current Seats
Inclusivity review
See also
References
External links

The Senedd comprises 60 members who are known as members of the Senedd (), abbreviated as "MS" (). Between 2011 and 2026, members were elected for a five-year term of office under an Additional-member system, in which 40 MSs represent smaller geographical divisions known as "constituencies" and were elected by first-past-the-post voting, and 20 MSs represent five "electoral regions" using the D'Hondt method of proportional representation. From May 2026, elections will use closed list proportional representation. Typically, the largest party in the Senedd forms the Welsh Government.