# Member of the Senedd

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Representative in the devolved parliament of Wales

For current members of the Senedd, see [7th Senedd](/source/7th_Senedd). For all of them, see [List of members of the Senedd](/source/List_of_members_of_the_Senedd).

Member of the Senedd Aelod o'r Senedd (Welsh) Incumbent 7th Senedd since 2026 election Type Member of Parliament Abbreviation MS (plural: MSs); (Welsh: AS, plural: ASau) Member of the Senedd Residence Senedd building Seat List of Senedd Constituencies Term length 4 years Constituting instrument Government of Wales Act 1998 Inaugural holder 1st National Assembly Formation 1999 Unofficial names Member of the Welsh Parliament; Welsh Parliament Member; Assembly Member (AM; 1999—2020) Salary £67,920

This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the Politics of Wales The Crown The Monarch Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales Prerogative Royal family Succession Privy Council King-in-Parliament Lord-lieutenant Llwynywermod England and Wales Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Principality of Wales Welsh republicanism Government Welsh Government Ap Iorwerth government (list) First Minister (list) Rhun ap Iorwerth (PC) Deputy First Minister Sioned Williams (PC) Cabinet Civil Service Welsh Budget Taxation Directorates Sponsored bodies State-owned enterprises Crown Buildings, Cathays Park Counsel General – Elfyn Llwyd (designate) (PC) Chief Whip and Trefnydd – Heledd Fychan MS (PC) Permanent Secretary International relations Welsh Government international offices Legislature Senedd Seventh Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Huw Irranca-Davies MS (L) Leader of the Opposition Dan Thomas (R) Shadow Cabinet (R) Welsh law Primary ( Acts Measures list ) Secondary ( Statutory instruments list ) Members (MSs) Current members Elections (previous by-elections) Constituencies former regions First Minister's Questions Senedd Commissioner for Standards Powers and status Devolution referendum (2011 referendum) Government of Wales Act 1998 2006 Act 2014 Act 2017 Act Senedd estate, Cardiff Bay (Senedd building Tŷ Hywel Pierhead Building) Wales and the United Kingdom HM Government Starmer ministry Prime Minister Rt Hon Keir Starmer MP (L) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon Jo Stevens MP (L) UK Parliament 59th Parliament House of Commons Wales Office Under-Secretary Welsh Grand Committee Welsh Affairs Select Committee Interministerial Standing Committee Government of Wales Act 2006 Elections Constituencies Current Westminster MPs Barnett formula Devolution 1978 Proposed Welsh Assembly (Wales Act 1978) Devolved matters Reserved matters Proposed matters Legislative consent motion Status Unionism Independence Politics of the United Kingdom Law and justice Welsh law English law Wales-only laws Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Wales and Berwick Act 1746 Capital of Wales: Cardiff Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales President of Welsh Tribunals Police forces Police and crime commissioner (list) Proposed Welsh justice system Local administration History Subdivisions of Wales Historic counties (list) Preserved counties (list) Principal areas (list) Former districts list pre-1973 list 1974-1996 Communities (list) Local government Principal councils (leader list) Corporate Joint Committees Cities (list) Cardiff (Mayor / Council) Swansea (Mayor / Council) Newport (Mayor / Council) Wrexham (Mayor / Council) Community council (list) Communities with city status Bangor St Asaph St Davids Local twinning see also: Regional terms and Regional economy Elections and referendums Senedd elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 2026 Next United Kingdom Parliament elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 2024 Next European Parliament elections (1979–2020) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local elections 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1999 2004 2008 2012 2017 2022 2027 Police and crime commissioner elections 2012 2016 2021 Referendums 1975 1979 1997 2011 2011 2016 1915–1916 Church of England border polls 2004 Ceredigion mayoral Senedd constituencies and electoral regions UK Parliament constituencies Political parties Represented in the Senedd (Plaid Cymru Reform UK Labour Conservatives Co-operative Party Greens Liberal Democrats) Think tanks Category Wales portal Other countries v t e

Members of the Senedd after the [2026 election](/source/2026_Senedd_election).
  [Plaid Cymru](/source/Plaid_Cymru): 43 seats

  [Reform UK](/source/Reform_UK): 34 seats

  [Labour](/source/Welsh_Labour): 9 seats

  [Conservative](/source/Welsh_Conservatives): 7 seats

  [Green Party](/source/Wales_Green_Party): 2 seats

  [Liberal Democrats](/source/Welsh_Liberal_Democrats): 1 seat

A **member of the Senedd** (**MS**; [plural](/source/Plural): *MSs*; [Welsh](/source/Welsh_language): *aelod o'r Senedd*; *AS*, plural: *ASau*), also known as a **member of the Welsh Parliament**,[a] is a representative elected to the [Senedd](/source/Senedd) (Welsh Parliament; [Welsh](/source/Welsh_language): *Senedd Cymru*). There are 6 members for each of 16 constituencies, with a total of 96 members. Seats are allocated using the [D'Hondt method](/source/D'Hondt_method).

A holder of this office was formerly known as an **assembly member** (**AM**; plural: AMs; [Welsh](/source/Welsh_language): *aelodau'r cynulliad*; *AC*, plural: *ACau*), under the legislature's former name, the [National Assembly for Wales](/source/National_Assembly_for_Wales), from its [inception in 1999](/source/1999_National_Assembly_for_Wales_election) until [2020 when it adopted its current names](/source/Senedd_and_Elections_(Wales)_Act_2020), Welsh Parliament, and *Senedd Cymru*, simply referred to as Senedd in both [English](/source/English_language) and [Welsh](/source/Welsh_language).[1][2] From 1999 to 2026, members were elected using the [additional member system](/source/Additional-member_system), in which 40 MSs represent smaller geographical divisions known as ["constituencies"](/source/Senedd_constituencies_and_electoral_regions) and are elected by [first-past-the-post voting](/source/First-past-the-post_voting), and 20 MSs represent [five "electoral regions"](/source/Senedd_constituencies_and_electoral_regions) using the D'Hondt method of [proportional representation](/source/Proportional_representation).

Typically, the largest party holding the largest number of MSs in the Senedd forms the Welsh Government, and in the event of not securing a majority of MSs, the largest party has first rights to begin coalition talks with other smaller parties. They hold four-year terms; from 2011 to 2026, they held five-year terms.[3]

## Method of election

The 96 MSs are elected through [closed list](/source/Closed_list) [proportional representation](/source/Party-list_proportional_representation) (using the [D'Hondt method](/source/D'Hondt_formula)) in [sixteen six-member constituencies](/source/Senedd_constituencies).

## Elections

All MSs positions become simultaneously vacant for [elections](/source/Elections) held on a four-year cycle. If a [vacancy](/source/Vacancy_(economics)) arises at another time, due to [death](/source/Death) or [resignation](/source/Resignation), it may be filled by the next available candidate on the relevant party list. If no such candidate is available, the seat lies vacant until the next election.

## Renaming

Holders of this office were first called an "Assembly Member" ([Welsh](/source/Welsh_language): *Aelod Cynulliad*), abbreviated to "AM" in English (plural: AMs; or in Welsh: *AC*, plural: *ACau*), under the legislature's then name, the [National Assembly for Wales](/source/National_Assembly_for_Wales), from its [inception in 1999](/source/1999_National_Assembly_for_Wales_election).[1][2]

In June 2018, the [Assembly Commission](/source/Assembly_Commission) held a public consultation into a potential name change, with the commission favouring the title "Welsh Parliament Member", abbreviated to "WPM", in line with the existing name.[4] The public consultation showed the most supported option was "Member of the Welsh Parliament" (MWP) at 30%, followed by "Member of the Senedd" (MS) on 28.4%, and the commission's preferred option on 11.1%.[5] "Member of the Welsh Parliament", abbreviated to MWP, raised concerns from some AMs, over potential ridicle. Their concerns were that the abbreviation "MWP" was too close to Welsh words "*twp*" ('daft') and "*pwp*" ('poo'), or sounding similar to a Welsh pronunciation of "muppet".[4] [Elin Jones](/source/Elin_Jones), [Presiding Officer of National Assembly for Wales](/source/Presiding_Officer_of_National_Assembly_for_Wales), called for the legislature to be called just the "Senedd", leading to members being called a "Member of the Senedd" as a way to address the concerns. Although this raised its own concerns that the corresponding Welsh name "*Aelod o'r Senedd*" would have the same Welsh abbreviation as "*Aelodau Seneddol*" for [Members of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom)) to the [UK Parliament](/source/UK_Parliament).[6]

In 2020, the legislature was renamed following the ratification of the [Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020](/source/Senedd_and_Elections_(Wales)_Act_2020), which renamed the legislature as the "Welsh Parliament" in English, and "*Senedd Cymru*" in Welsh.[1][2] Holders of the office would instead be called a "Member of the Senedd", abbreviated to "MS", or in Welsh, *Aelod o'r Senedd* (AS).[7] While "Member(s) of the Welsh Parliament" has also been used.[8][9][10]

## See also

- [List of members of the Senedd](/source/List_of_members_of_the_Senedd)

- [List of female members of the Senedd](/source/List_of_female_members_of_the_Senedd)

- [List of Plaid Cymru MSs](/source/List_of_Plaid_Cymru_MSs)

- [Members of the 1st National Assembly for Wales](/source/Members_of_the_1st_National_Assembly_for_Wales)

- [Members of the 2nd National Assembly for Wales](/source/Members_of_the_2nd_National_Assembly_for_Wales)

- [Members of the 3rd National Assembly for Wales](/source/Members_of_the_3rd_National_Assembly_for_Wales)

- [Members of the 4th National Assembly for Wales](/source/Members_of_the_4th_National_Assembly_for_Wales)

- [Members of the 5th National Assembly for Wales](/source/Members_of_the_5th_National_Assembly_for_Wales) (or 5th Senedd)

- [Members of the 6th Senedd](/source/Members_of_the_6th_Senedd)

- [Members of the 7th Senedd](/source/Members_of_the_7th_Senedd)

- [2016 National Assembly for Wales election](/source/2016_National_Assembly_for_Wales_election)

- [2021 Senedd election](/source/2021_Senedd_election)

- [Senedd constituencies and electoral regions](/source/Senedd_constituencies_and_electoral_regions)

- [Member of Parliament](/source/Member_of_Parliament_(United_Kingdom))

- [Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)](/source/Member_of_the_Legislative_Assembly_(Northern_Ireland))

- [Member of the Scottish Parliament](/source/Member_of_the_Scottish_Parliament)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** as also used in English-language media and by members, using the legislature's official English name, the "Welsh Parliament".

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:0_2-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:0_2-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:0_2-2) ["Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020"](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2020/1/section/4/enacted/data.htm). *www.legislation.gov.uk*. Retrieved 3 May 2020.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:1_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:1_3-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-:1_3-2) Commission, Assembly. ["Explanatory Notes to Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020"](http://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2020/1/notes/division/1/5/1/data.htm). *www.legislation.gov.uk*. Retrieved 3 May 2020.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Call for Senedd to return to elections every four years as Westminster poised to scrap fixed terms"](https://nation.cymru/news/call-for-senedd-to-return-to-elections-every-four-years-as-westminster-poised-to-scrap-fixed-terms/). *Nation.Cymru*. 6 July 2021. Retrieved 27 July 2021.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-:2_5-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-:2_5-1) ["Welsh AMs worried about 'looking like muppets'"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45699408). *BBC News*. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["Assembly set to be renamed Welsh Parliament"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-40263684). *BBC News*. 13 June 2017. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Assembly set to be renamed Senedd, instead of Welsh Parliament"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-46180039). *BBC News*. 12 November 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** ["Why are Welsh Assembly Members changing their name?"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-52442634). *BBC News*. 5 May 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["People | The Welsh Conservative Party"](https://www.conservatives.wales/people/type/Member-of-the-Welsh-Parliament). *www.conservatives.wales*. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** ["Members of the Welsh Parliament"](https://party.coop/people/ms/). *Co-operative Party*. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** ["Senedd: Welsh Parliament politicians get 3% pay rise"](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-68676593). *BBC News*. 28 March 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2025.

v t e Senedd Welsh Parliament • Senedd Cymru Organisation Llywydd (presiding officer) Deputy Presiding Officer Trefnydd (leader) Leader of the Opposition Shadow cabinet Committees Senedd Standards of Conduct Committee Senedd Commission Chief Executive and Clerk of the Senedd Senedd Commissioner for Standards Ceremonial mace Legislation Act of Senedd Cymru list former measures law Welsh statutory instruments Assembly list till 2013 Estate Senedd building Tŷ Hywel Pierhead Building Members and constituencies Members (96) list regional changes female Reform Constituencies (16) review Former constituencies and electoral regions (40 & 5) Previous groupings Welsh Labour Welsh Conservatives Plaid Cymru Welsh Liberal Democrats Reform UK Independents Elections Concurrent 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 2026 By-elections See also Powers All Wales Convention Yes for Wales Welsh Youth Parliament Democracy and Boundary Commission Cymru

v t e Current members of the Senedd 7th Senedd 2026 Senedd election Plaid Cymru (43) Lyn Ackerman Zaynub Akbar Mabon ap Gwynfor Rhun ap lorwerth (leader) Beca Brown Anna Brychan Cefin Campbell Nick Carter Alun Cox Sara Crowley Donna Cushing Dafydd Trystan Davies John Davies Safa Elhassan Nerys Evans Sera Evans Kerry Ferguson Heledd Fychan Leticia Gonzalez Peredur Owen Griffiths Llŷr Gruffydd Siân Gwenllian Carrie Harper Mark Hooper Delyth Jewell Elin Jones Marc Jones Matthew Jones Kiera Marshall Becca Martin Lis McLean Anna Nicholl Rebeca Phillips Adam Price Sarah Rees Mair Rowlands Niamh Salkeld Elyn Stephens Elwyn Vaughan Lindsay Whittle Elfed Williams Gwyn Williams Sioned Williams Reform UK Wales (34) Claire Archibald Steve Bayliss Gareth Beer John Clark Carmelo Colasanto Sarah Cooper-Lesadd Catherine Cullen Sarah Edwards Louise Emery Cristiana Emsley James Evans Andrew Griffin David Hughes Helen Jenner Claire Johnson-Wood Laura Anne Jones Joshua Kim Paul Marr Joe Martin Adrian Mason Iain McIntosh Benjamin McKenna David Mills Thomas Montgomery Francesca O'Brien Jason O'Connell Cai Parry-Jones Llŷr Powell Steven Rodaway Stephen Senior Dan Thomas (leader) Gareth Thomas Nigel Williams Art Wright Welsh Labour (9) Jayne Bryant Mike Hedges Vikki Howells Huw Irranca-Davies Sarah Murphy Lynne Neagle Ken Skates (leader) Shav Taj Huw Thomas Welsh Conservatives (7) Natasha Asghar Paul Davies Andrew RT Davies Janet Finch-Saunders Peter Fox Darren Millar (leader) Sam Rowlands Wales Green Party (2) Paul Rock Anthony Slaughter (leader) Welsh Liberal Democrats (1) Jane Dodds (leader) Llywydd (presiding officer): Huw Irranca-Davies

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Member of the Senedd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_the_Senedd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Member_of_the_Senedd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.