Parties say they won't publish details of Senedd candidate selection votes

Martin Shipton

None of the main political parties contesting the Senedd election in 2026 have agreed to a suggestion from Nation.Cymru that they should publish the detailed voting figures in their internal candidate selection contests.

We asked Welsh Labour, the Welsh Conservatives, Plaid Cymru, the Welsh Liberal Democrats and Reform UK Wales to outline their selection process, and to commit to publishing the detailed results of internal party selection contests.

Our decision to do so was prompted by speculation that some local party branches are moribund and that some would-be MSs are likely to be selected as candidates with winnable places on “closed lists” after obtaining an embarrassingly low number of votes.

Under the new electoral system on which the 2026 Senedd election will be fought, people will vote for party lists rather than individual candidates. The order in which candidates appear on their party list will determine their chances of being elected, with those who secure top slots having the best chance.

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'Zipping system'

A Plaid Cymru spokesperson said: "Plaid Cymru is selecting candidates in April and May, with unprecedented numbers of candidates having come forward to stand. Following a members' decision at Conference, the party has implemented a zipping system similar to that originally proposed in the Senedd reform legislation, to attempt to ensure gender balance.

"Hustings events are being held and party members attending will thereafter get to vote for their choice of candidates. An STV voting system will be used to determine the candidates' ranking, which will be published at the end of the process.

“We’re confident that we’ll have a strong, diverse team of candidates ready to share Plaid Cymru’s positive vision of a fairer, more ambitious future as we look ahead to next year’s Senedd elections. This Labour Government is out of ideas and out of time. Only by electing a Plaid Cymru Government will the people of Wales get the fresh start we need."

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'Experience'

A spokesperson for Reform UK Wales said: “We are pleased to announce that the candidate selection process is now open to all Reform UK members in Wales. The vetting stage is currently underway, and candidate adoption will commence once all prospective candidates have completed this process.

“At Reform UK, we are committed to selecting candidates based on merit, experience, and dedication to serving their communities, not on ideological or tokenistic quotas.

“Our focus remains on putting the best people forward to deliver real change for Wales and the UK.”

A spokesperson for the Welsh Liberal Democrats said: “The Welsh Liberal Democrats select their candidates via a ballot of all members in each constituency. This follows an approval and shortlisting process. The Party’s full selection rules and procedures are published on its website .

“The Party has various measures to improve diversity, such as mentoring and training for under-represented groups and for shortlisting panels. However there are no protected places or ‘zipping’ requirements; candidates are ultimately selected on merit.

“The Welsh Lib Dems will publish the selection outcomes for all constituencies, but will not provide a breakdown of votes for each candidate.”

In accordance with the party’s rules, Welsh Liberal Democrat leader Jane Dodds was automatically selected in the top spot for the new Senedd seat of Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd, which will cover both Brecon, Radnor and Cwmtawe, as well as Neath and Swansea East.

Incumbent MSs

A Welsh Conservative spokesperson would only say: "Welsh Conservatives will be putting forward the best possible candidates to defeat Labour and fix Wales." However, we are aware that incumbent MSs will be slotted into the top slots in the new “mega constituencies” where they want to seek election. In the new seat of Sir Fynwy Torfaen, covering Monmouthshire and Torfaen, sitting Tory MSs Peter Fox and Laura Anne Jones will be up against each other for the first two positions on the closed list.

Welsh Labour was the only party not to respond to our request for comment at all, but sources told us that branches in each of the 16 “mega-constituencies” will be provided with a list of eight candidates. It will then be for local party members to decide in which order the eight should be ranked on the closed list. Incumbent MSs wishing to stand for another term will lead their respective closed lists. There are no special measures in place aimed at favouring the preferential selection of women.

Panels

A Labour source told us: “As yet we haven’t been told who will sit on the panels that decide which eight candidates are sent to each of the 16 constituency parties. Nor has it been stated who will decide the composition of the panels. These are crucial decisions that will have a huge impact on who is elected as Labour MSs next year. The party needs to be transparent about how its candidates are selected.”

Jess Blair, director of ERS [Electoral Reform Society] Cymru, said: “Under this system party selections are more important as they will essentially be selecting our MSs. That’s because the Closed List electoral system, which will be used for the 2026 Senedd elections, only allows people to vote for a political party rather than an individual. This means that the lists of candidates the parties select determine who gets the seats. Therefore, while this system is in place, there is an onus on the parties to be far more transparent about their selection process.

“But ultimately voters should have the right to choose the person who represents them in the Senedd. That’s why, following the election, MSs should back a change to a proportional system that allows voters to vote for candidates and not just political parties, such as the Single Transferable Vote”.

Given the reluctance of parties to release voting figures for internal selection contests, it appears that we, like other news outlets, will have to rely on publicly spirited party members to leak the results to us.