Dropping gender quotas is a 'huge step back for Welsh democracy'
Ditching plans to make political parties ensure their selection lists are at least 50% women for election to the Senedd is a "huge step back for Welsh democracy" which could result in the parliament being the "least representative it has ever been at the next election," it has been claimed.
Eluned Morgan's administration has moved away from plans which would have tried to increase gender diversity in the Senedd. They had originally been included in wider Senedd reform proposals, and while some of those have gone through and will mean there will be 96, not 60 MSs, in the Senedd from 2026 and a new voting system, plans for gender quotas have been ditched, you can read about that here.
A group of Welsh equality charities have now criticised that decision. The Diverse 50:50 campaign, made up of Women’s Equality Network (WEN) Wales, the Electoral Reform Society (ERS) Cymru, Ethnic Minorities and Youth Support Team Wales (EYST) and Race Council Cymru, has warned it could mean fewer women elected in future elections, and has raised concerns around the representation of ethnic minority women in the Senedd.
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Director of ERS Cymru, Jess Blair, said: "The Welsh Government’s decision to drop plans for gender quotas at the next Senedd election is a huge step back for Welsh democracy and risks seeing the Senedd becoming the least representative it has ever been at the next election.
"Equal representation of women should be a basic requirement in any legislature, but underrepresentation could now become baked in at Cardiff Bay as all decisions on representation will be left to the whims of the political parties.
"The dropping of gender quotas also completely strips away any justification for the Senedd moving to the Closed List electoral system. We have repeatedly warned that this system will mean for the first time Welsh voters will not be able to vote for a named candidate.
“The Senedd now needs to urgently review the move to the Closed List system, and we would urge them to move to a fairer voting system that delivers proportionality as well as accountability, such as the Single Transferable Vote (STV)." For the latest politics news in Wales sign up to our newsletter here.
Director of WEN Wales, Victoria Vasey added: “The Senedd Cymru (Electoral Candidate Lists) Bill would have been an opportunity for Wales to once again be a trailblazer on women’s representation. The decision to withdraw the Bill after the Senedd agreed its general principles is extremely disappointing. This is a lost opportunity, but it must not be lost forever."
Selima Bahadur, programme manager, All Wales Black Asian Minority Ethnic Engagement Team at EYST said: "We were hopeful that this legislation, combined with the wider diversity measures that are underway, would give more ethnic minority women the confidence and opportunity to claim politics as a place where they belong. After all the hard work, the decision to withdraw the bill is hugely disappointing and will take us two steps backwards in our fight for diverse and equal representation."