Press Release: Campaigners welcome progress of legislation aimed at making Senedd representative of the Welsh population
Campaigners have welcomed today’s vote in the Senedd in favour of the general principles of a bill aimed at making the Senedd representative of the Welsh population by increasing the number of women elected.
The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill will see placement mandates put on candidate lists for future Senedd elections, meaning that half of the candidates on party lists must be women and at least half of the lists must be topped by women. The Diverse5050 campaign, consisting of Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales, Electoral Reform Society Cymru, Race Council Cymru, and the Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team (EYST) Wales, has heralded the Bill as key in ensuring that women are represented fairly and proportionately at the heart of decision-making in Wales.
The vote in favour comes following scrutiny of the Bill by the Reform Bill Committee, which published a report in June recommending that the Senedd vote in favour. This now means that the Bill will move forward to Stage 2 of the legislative process and one step closer to becoming law.
However, the Bill’s implementation is not likely to take effect until the 2030 Senedd elections. To ensure its aims of a gender-balanced Senedd are met, it is imperative the legislation continues to be supported in the longer term, and that parties implement further measures in the meantime to ensure a diverse slate of candidates for the next elections in 2026.
The vote also comes following the passing of another Bill last week relating to Senedd reform, the Elections and Elected Bodies (Wales) Bill, aimed at modernising Welsh elections and increasing diversity.
WEN Director Victoria Vasey said:
“We’re delighted that the Senedd has voted in favour of moving this Bill forward to the next stage. This Bill will help to level the political playing field and lower some of the barriers that impact upon women’s representation in Welsh politics.
The perspectives and lived experience of women of all protected characteristics and marginalised communities must be represented in decision-making processes and reflected in the laws that govern us all, for the benefit of all. This is why the Diverse5050 campaign also calls for wider diversity measures alongside this groundbreaking legislation – and with it now unlikely to take effect until 2030, a suite of measures for all political parties is crucial leading up to 2026.
Since the Senedd became the first legislature in the world to achieve gender parity over twenty years ago, the proportion of women has slipped back to 43%. With this Bill, Wales has an opportunity to lead the way in the UK once again.”
ERS Cymru Director Jess Blair said:
“The Senedd has recently passed new reforms, ensuring it will be a stronger institution after the next elections.
“It is absolutely vital that the new Senedd has a larger capacity and is representative of the communities it serves. The equal representation of women should be a basic requirement of democracy rather than an aspiration
“The Senedd was the first legislature in the world to reach 50:50 gender balance back in 2003. This has consistently slipped then in terms of representation. The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill is a starting point for ensuring we see more women elected to our parliament in future, and it is great to see this Bill begin its journey in the Senedd today and pass its first hurdle. Yet, we still have a long way to go.
“With a delay likely in the Bill’s implementation to 2030 the onus must be on political parties to ensure we don’t slip further in representation until then.
While it is vital that we protect the integrity of our elections in Wales, all parties must also consider how to ensure that they support this legislation in the longer term, and in the short term ensure that they select a diverse range of candidates for the 2026 elections”.