View source for Member of the Senedd

{{Short description|Representative in the devolved parliament of Wales}}
{{For-multi|current members of the Senedd|6th Senedd|all of them|List of members of the Senedd}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Member
| body = the [[Senedd]]
| native_name = {{native name|cy|Aelod o'r Senedd}}
| image = 
| imagesize = 
| alt = 
| imagecaption = 
| incumbent = [[6th Senedd]]
| acting = 
| incumbentsince = [[2021 Senedd election|2021 election]]
| department = 
| style = 
| type = [[Member of Parliament]]
| status = 
| abbreviation = MS ([[plural]]: MSs);<br>({{langx|cy|AS}}, plural: {{lang|cy|ASau}})
| member_of = the [[Senedd]]
| residence = [[Senedd building]]
| seat = [[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions|List of constituencies and electoral regions]]
| nominator = 
| appointer = 
| appointer_qualified = 
| termlength = 5 years
| constituting_instrument = [[Government of Wales Act 1998]]
| precursor = 
| inaugural = [[Members of the 1st National Assembly for Wales|1st National Assembly]]
| formation = 1999
| founder = 
| named_for = 
| first = 
| last = 
| abolished = 
| succession = 
| unofficial_names = Member of the Welsh Parliament;<br> Welsh Parliament Member;<br>Assembly Member (AM; 1999{{em dash}}2020)
| deputy = 
| salary = [[Pound sterling|£]]67,920
| website = 
| footnotes = 
}}
{{Politics of Wales}}
[[File:Senedd October 2025.svg|thumb|Diagram showing the current party affiliation of the 60 members of the Senedd as of October 2025. Colours below, left to right:{{legend|#E4003B|[[Welsh Labour|Labour]]: 29 seats}}{{legend|#0087DC|[[Welsh Conservatives|Conservative]]: 14 seats}}{{legend|#005B54|[[Plaid Cymru]]: 13 seats}}{{legend|#FF6400|[[Welsh Liberal Democrats|Liberal Democrat]]: 1 seat}}{{Legend|#26C6DA|[[Reform UK]]: 1 seat}}{{legend|#DCDCDC|[[Independent politician|Independent]]: 2 seats}}]]
A '''member of the Senedd''' ('''MS'''; [[plural]]: ''MSs''; {{langx|cy|aelod o'r Senedd}}; {{Langx|cy|AS|label=none}}, plural: {{lang|cy|ASau}}), also known as a '''member of the Welsh Parliament''',{{efn-la|as also used in English-language media and by members, using the legislature's official English name, the "Welsh Parliament".|group=la}} is a representative elected to the [[Senedd]] (Welsh Parliament; {{Langx|cy|Senedd Cymru}}). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual [[Senedd constituency|Senedd constituencies]], and twenty to represent the five [[Senedd electoral regions|electoral regions]] of the Senedd in [[Wales]].

Each person in Wales is represented by five MSs: one for their local constituency (encompassing their local area where they reside), and another four covering their electoral region (a large grouping of constituencies). Wales's five electoral regions are [[Mid and West Wales (Senedd electoral region)|Mid and West Wales]], [[North Wales (Senedd electoral region)|North Wales]], [[South Wales Central (Senedd electoral region)|South Wales Central]], [[South Wales East (Senedd electoral region)|South Wales East]] and [[South Wales West (Senedd electoral region)|South Wales West]].<ref>[http://exploretheassembly.org/lang/en-uk/your-am/what-does-an-am-do-welsh Explore the Assembly education website] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130111030453/http://exploretheassembly.org/lang/en-uk/your-am/what-does-an-am-do-welsh |date=11 January 2013 }}</ref>

A holder of this office was formerly known as an '''assembly member''' ('''AM'''; plural: AMs; {{langx|cy|aelodau'r cynulliad}}; {{Langx|cy|AC|label=none}}, plural: {{lang|cy|ACau}}), under the legislature's former name, the [[National Assembly for Wales]], from its [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election|inception in 1999]] until [[Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020|2020 when it adopted its current names]], Welsh Parliament, and {{Langx|cy|Senedd Cymru|label=none}}, simply referred to as Senedd in both [[English language|English]] and [[Welsh language|Welsh]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2020/1/section/4/enacted/data.htm|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=Explanatory Notes to Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/anaw/2020/1/notes/division/1/5/1/data.htm|last=Commission|first=Assembly|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>

Since 2011, members are elected for a five-year [[term of office]] under an [[additional member system]], in which 40 MSs represent smaller geographical divisions known as [[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions|"constituencies"]] and are elected by [[first-past-the-post voting]], and 20 MSs represent [[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions|five "electoral regions"]] using the [[D'Hondt method]] of [[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. Prior to 2011, they held four-year terms, with some MSs calling for a return of four-year terms from the current five.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-07-06|title=Call for Senedd to return to elections every four years as Westminster poised to scrap fixed terms|url=https://nation.cymru/news/call-for-senedd-to-return-to-elections-every-four-years-as-westminster-poised-to-scrap-fixed-terms/|access-date=2021-07-27|website=Nation.Cymru|language=en-GB}}</ref> From the next Senedd election, due in 2026, the size of the Senedd will increase to 96.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2021-05-19|title=Mark Drakeford backs calls for bigger Welsh Parliament|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-57116856|access-date=2021-07-25}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Welsh democracy is under threat, we need more members of the Senedd now more than ever|url=https://www.electoral-reform.org.uk/welsh-democracy-is-under-threat-we-need-more-members-of-the-senedd-now-more-than-ever/|access-date=2021-07-25|website=www.electoral-reform.org.uk|language=en-US}}</ref>

==Methods of election==
MSs are elected in one of two ways:<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2006/32/contents|title=Government of Wales Act 2006|website=www.legislation.gov.uk|access-date=9 April 2018}}</ref>
#[[First-past-the-post voting|First-past-the-post]] [[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions|constituency]] or
#[[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions|Regional]] [[Additional Members System|additional-member]]

Forty are [[election|elected]] as constituency MSs and twenty are elected as additional members, four from each of five regional groups of [[constituencies]]. This additional member system produces a form of [[proportional representation]] for each region.

==Elections==
All MSs positions become simultaneously vacant for [[elections]] held on a five-year cycle. If a [[Vacancy (economics)|vacancy]] arises at another time, due to [[death]] or [[resignation]], it may be filled in one of two ways, depending on whether the [[Vacancy (economics)|vacancy]] is for a [[first-past-the-post]] [[constituency]] MS or for an additional-member MS.

A constituency vacancy may be filled by a [[by-election]]. An additional member vacancy may be filled by the next available candidate on the relevant party list.

== Renaming ==
Holders of this office were first called an "Assembly Member" ({{langx|cy|Aelod Cynulliad}}), abbreviated to "AM" in English (plural: AMs; or in {{Langx|cy|AC|links=no}}, plural: {{lang|cy|ACau}}), under the legislature's then name, the [[National Assembly for Wales]], from its [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election|inception in 1999]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" />

In June 2018, the [[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.<ref name=":2">{{Cite news |date=2018-09-30 |title=Welsh AMs worried about 'looking like muppets' |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-45699408 |access-date=2025-10-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> 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%.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2017-06-13 |title=Assembly set to be renamed Welsh Parliament |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-40263684 |access-date=2025-10-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> "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 "{{lang|cy|twp}}" ({{gloss|daft}}) and "{{lang|cy|pwp}}" ({{gloss|poo}}), or sounding similar to a Welsh pronunciation of "muppet".<ref name=":2" /> [[Elin Jones]], [[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 "{{Lang|cy|Aelod o'r Senedd}}" would have the same Welsh abbreviation as "{{Lang|cy|Aelodau Seneddol}}" for [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Members of Parliament]] to the [[UK Parliament]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-11-12 |title=Assembly set to be renamed Senedd, instead of Welsh Parliament |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-46180039 |access-date=2025-10-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

In 2020, the legislature was renamed following the ratification of the [[Senedd and Elections (Wales) Act 2020]], which renamed the legislature as the "Welsh Parliament" in English, and "{{Langx|cy|Senedd Cymru|label=none}}" in Welsh.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":1" /> Holders of the office would instead be called a "Member of the Senedd", abbreviated to "MS", or in Welsh, {{Lang|cy|Aelod o'r Senedd}} (AS).<ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-05-05 |title=Why are Welsh Assembly Members changing their name? |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-52442634 |access-date=2025-10-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> While "Member(s) of the Welsh Parliament" has also been used.<ref>{{Cite web |title=People {{!}} The Welsh Conservative Party |url=https://www.conservatives.wales/people/type/Member-of-the-Welsh-Parliament |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=www.conservatives.wales}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Members of the Welsh Parliament |url=https://party.coop/people/ms/ |access-date=2025-10-04 |website=Co-operative Party |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2024-03-28 |title=Senedd: Welsh Parliament politicians get 3% pay rise |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-68676593 |access-date=2025-10-04 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of members of the Senedd]]
* [[List of female members of the Senedd]]
* [[List of Plaid Cymru MSs]]
* [[Members of the 1st National Assembly for Wales]]
* [[Members of the 2nd National Assembly for Wales]]
* [[Members of the 3rd National Assembly for Wales]]
* [[Members of the 4th National Assembly for Wales]]
* [[Members of the 5th National Assembly for Wales]] (or 5th Senedd)
* [[Members of the 6th Senedd]]
* [[2016 National Assembly for Wales election]]
* [[2021 Senedd election]]
* [[Senedd constituencies and electoral regions]]
* [[Member of Parliament (United Kingdom)|Member of Parliament]]
* [[Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland)]]
* [[Member of the Scottish Parliament]]

==Notes==
{{notelist-la}}

==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Senedd}}
{{Current MSs|state=collapsed}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Member Of The National Assembly For Wales}}
[[Category:Members of the Senedd]]
[[Category:Welsh politicians]]