The 2021 Welsh Parliament election is the first to be held since Wales’ legislature changed its name from the National Assembly of Wales and the first to allow 16 and 17-year-olds to vote.
It is 22 years since devolution began to see law-making and taxation powers moved from Westminster to Cardiff Bay, with responsibilities for health, education, economic development, transport, the environment, agriculture and local government now resting in Wales.
Welsh Labour has dominated Wales’ governance and has consistently won the most seats across all five previous elections.
The most recent administration was Labour-led but supported by Lib Dem Kirsty Williams and independent Dafydd Elis-Thomas, who are both standing down from the Senedd.
The National Assembly for Wales was opened in 1999 following the result of a referendum in 1997 which won with just 50.3% of the vote.
Alun Michael became its first leader as Assembly First Secretary in May 1999 after being backed by Prime Minister Tony Blair, but he lasted just 273 days at the helm of a minority Welsh Labour government.
Mr Morgan formed a minority government following the 2003 election which later saw the transfer of limited law-making powers to Wales through the Government of Wales Act 2006.
Following the 2007 election, Mr Morgan initially formed another minority government after talks with other parties collapsed.
But he eventually formed a Labour and Plaid Cymru coalition two months later in July 2007, which also saw Plaid leader Ieuan Wyn Jones become Deputy First Minister.
Welsh Labour again won the most seats and Mr Jones formed his own minority government, which was the first to govern since the 2011 referendum on direct law-making powers for Wales’ legislature.
The 2016 election saw a Labour and Liberal Democrat coalition, with Lib Dem Kirsty Williams joining the government as well as Dafydd Elis-Thomas who had left Plaid Cymru and became an independent member to hand Labour a ruling majority.
Following the parliament’s May 2020 name change, its 60 members were also renamed Members of the Senedd (MSs) as opposed to Assembly Members (AMs).
The Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act also lowered the voting age to 16 for Senedd elections, extended the right to vote to eligible foreign nationals, and changed the law so that most disqualifications prohibit a person from taking up a seat in the Senedd though they can still stand for election.
