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North Wales Live
4 days ago
- Politics
- North Wales Live
Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price faces uphill battle for Senedd re-election
Plaid Cymru's former leader Adam Price faces an uphill battle to be re-elected as a Senedd member after missing out on the top two spots in Plaid's selection process for Carmarthenshire. The Senedd election in May 2026 is being fought under a new system, and with less than a year to go, parties are currently selecting their candidates. Instead of the current combination of constituencies and regional lists, at the new election there will be 16 constituencies which will send six representatives to Cardiff Bay who will be chosen by proportional representation, making a total of 96MSs in the expended Senedd from next year. All the parties have to select a list of six politicians with the ones at the top of the list the most likely to make it to Cardiff Bay, depending on how many votes the party wins in the constituency in next year's election. Mr Price, the current Senedd Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, has been selected in third place on Plaid's list in the new Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency. It means he will only win a seat if Plaid convincingly wins the most votes in the constituency and wins three or more out of the six seats on offer there. Ahead of him on the list for are his current colleagues - Cefin Campbell, the current regional Senedd member for mid and west Wales, in first place and Nerys Evans, a former Assembly Member for the same region in second place. The candidate selected in fourth is Mari Arthur. For our free daily briefing on the biggest issues facing the nation, sign up to the Wales Matters newsletter here. It is not impossible that Mr Price will be successful yet his hopes depend on a much more favourable result in May next year than he would have needed if he had won the first or second slots on the list. Plaid is hopeful given a recent poll put it as the biggest party, you can see that here. Plaid Cymru's process is ongoing with other seats currently being confirmed. The party's rules are that it will not give preferential treatment to any existing Senedd member and that party members were able to vote and give a ranked choice. To encourage female candidates, the party has selected eight constituencies where a woman will be selected top of the list. Mr Price was leader of the party from 2018 until 2023. He stood down after a damning report was published which found misogyny, harassment and bullying in the party. That report, called Prosiect Pawb, was commissioned in 2022, and written by Nerys Evans. It said too many instances of bad behaviour were tolerated, and said an anonymous survey of staff and elected members highlighted examples "of sexual harassment, bullying and discrimination". Mr Price initially refused to quit but then said it was clear he no longer had the support of his colleagues and resigned. Rhun ap Iorwerth then became leader. When Ms Evans announced her plan to run in April, she said on X. "It's been a very tough decision to make, and I've been humbled by the amount of Plaid Cymru members in that have urged me to do so. Now is not the time to sit on the sidelines, we all need to stand up for what we believe in these troubled political times." She was elected between 2007 and 2011 for mid and west Wales, she then set up public affairs agency Deryn, now called Cavendish. Mr Campbell said it was an "honour" to stand again. "It's an honour to once again stand for an area that means so much to me," he said. In a statement released by the party, Mr Price said: "I would like to thank the members that showed me support during this process and congratulate Cefin on topping the list. "The task now is for our team of candidates to work together and ensure our best ever result in Sir Gar at the next Senedd elections." Elsewhere in Wales, other selections include councillor Carrie Harper selected top of the Fflint Wrecsam list and former party chair Dafydd Trystan top of the Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf. Current Senedd member Luke Fletcher had hoped to be re-elected to Pen-y-Bont Morgannwg but has also come third.
Sky News
30-05-2025
- General
- Sky News
Adam Price: Former Plaid Cymru leader's re-election uncertain under new voting system
Why you can trust Sky News There is uncertainty whether the former leader of Plaid Cymru will be re-elected under the Senedd's new voting system. People in Wales will be heading to the polls next May to vote in the Senedd election for the first time since 2021. Plaid Cymru has published its candidate list for the new constituency of Sir Gaerfyrddin, which puts Adam Price in third place. For the first time, voters will be electing 96 members to the Welsh parliament - an increase of more than 50%. The 32 Welsh constituencies at UK general elections will be paired to form 16 larger constituencies. Six candidates will be elected to represent each constituency, under a more proportional voting system. The order of candidates on each party's list is decided by party members. The lower a candidate's position on each party's list, the lower their chances of being elected. In a statement to local members, seen by Sky News, the party confirmed that Cefin Campbell, its education spokesperson, had topped the list. Former Senedd member Nerys Evans was placed second, followed by former leader Adam Price in third. Mari Arthur, who the party describes as a social entrepreneur and sustainability campaigner, completes the party's top four candidates. After the result, Mr Price said he would "like to thank the members that showed [him] support during this process and congratulate Cefin on topping the list". Mr Price quit as leader of the Welsh independence-supporting party in May 2023. His departure came after a report into a "toxic" culture within Plaid Cymru, which found a "lack of collective leadership and governance" in responding to the issues. The party commissioned the report by a working group, chaired by Mrs Evans, who now hopes to be re-elected to the Senedd after an initial stint between 2007 and 2011. Mr Price was ultimately replaced as leader by Rhun ap Iorwerth, who currently represents Ynys Môn in the Senedd. A Senedd poll published earlier this month placed Plaid Cymru as the party with the highest vote share, ahead of Reform UK, Labour and the Conservatives.
BBC News
30-05-2025
- General
- BBC News
Ex-Plaid Cymru leader Price unlikely to be re-elected in 2026
Former Plaid Cymru leader Adam Price is unlikely to be re-elected in next year's Senedd election. Members of the Senedd (MS) Cefin Campbell and Nerys Evans are the top two candidates the party will put forward for the new Sir Gaerfyrddin constituency while Price is third, the BBC has been told. Plaid Cymru's rules aim for gender equality, meaning the second name on each regional list must be a party would expect to win two of the six Sir Gaerfyrddin seats and face a challenge from Reform and Labour at the election in May 2026. Plaid's selection process is more competitive than Labour's or the Conservatives as the party is not giving its current MSs any preferential treatment and is prioritising gender balance in how it determines the order of Sir Gaerfyrddin, this means that if a woman tops the local members' selection, another woman must also be placed second on the list of up to eight candidates on the ballot. If a man takes the top spot, a woman would still be required to take second Campbell and Evans occupying the top spots, the prospects of Price securing a seat seem more exact votes cast for each member is yet to be confirmed but it is understood the selection process concluded on Thursday evening. Who is Adam Price? Price became leader of the Plaid Cymru in 2018 and led the party into the 2021 Senedd election with a pledge to hold a referendum on Welsh independence within five years if it won the party finished third behind Labour and the Welsh Conservatives. Following the election, Price signed a co-operation agreement with the Labour government, helping to deliver policies such as universal free school 2022, the party became engulfed by claims of a toxic culture, culminating in a report by Evans that said it had tolerated "too many instances of bad behaviour".Price stepped down as leader in 2023. Evans was an Assembly Member from 2007 to 2011, with Campbell elected to the Senedd in Price on the list is former Llanelli candidate Mari Arthur, who now works in marketing and the sustainable energy Griffiths, a Carmarthenshire councillor, is fifth, followed by Abi Thomas, a former Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire new election map has 16 seats, each electing six MSs, with the voting system electing members from party Cymru has been asked to comment. Analysis - BBC Wales political editor Gareth Lewis Had Adam Price had his way we could be on the verge of a referendum on Welsh one within five years was central to his pitch at the 2021 Senedd election, but Plaid finished seemed resigned to coming third again - this time in his party's list - when I spoke to him at Plaid's spring conference in some in the party his resignation in 2023 and the scandal surrounding Jonathan Edwards - the former MP in Price's Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency - still cast a long is not impossible for Price and Plaid to win three seats in Sir Gaerfyrddin, but they would need a good having topped a recent poll, Plaid's selection process could cost them two big names - Price and economy spokesman Luke Fletcher.
