North Wales MS Mark Isherwood has warned today that delaying the Welsh General in Election set to take place in May “would have huge ramifications” and stressed that motives for doing so must not be political.
Speaking in today’s virtual Welsh Parliament debate on ‘The Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill’, which could pave the way for this year's Senedd election to be delayed by up to six months, Mr Isherwood said a delay would leave “many feeling disenfranchised, especially when the Pandemic has shone such a bright light on Devolved Government in Wales”.
He emphasised that elections have taken place during the pandemic in other countries and that Welsh Conservatives have always maintained that the Welsh Parliament elections should take place on the 6th May 2021, except in exceptional emergency circumstances.
Speaking from North Wales, he said:
“When the Welsh Government seeks to introduce an Emergency Bill, on the grounds that it needs to be enacted more quickly than the Senedd’s usual legislative process allows it, this essentially streamlines the Senedd’s law making and accountability processes. It should therefore only be used when there is a real and unforeseen emergency.
“The Welsh Government has only used this method of legislation twice before, with the Agricultural Sector Wales Act 2014 and the Law Derived from the European Union (Wales) Act 2018. Arguably their motives were political on both occasions, and this must not become the case with the Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill that they are now seeking consent from the Senedd to introduce.”
He added:
“Although the Pandemic crisis has been here since March 2020, and we have known the date for the next Welsh Parliament election for 5 years, the First Minister didn’t suggest a change in regulations until November. We must therefore ask why the Welsh Government has put itself in the situation where it needs to be using such emergency procedures? Where is the foresight, when it was evident that the Pandemic would still be dominating the agenda? Some may say that the drop in public confidence in the Welsh Government’s handling of the Pandemic may have had an influence on their motives for seeking this emergency Bill now, but I couldn’t possibly comment!”
“Whilst we will vote today to agree that the Welsh Government can introduce the Welsh Elections (Coronavirus) Bill as an Emergency Bill in the Senedd, recognising the potential need for a delay based on a badly deteriorating public health situation, we are only lending them our vote. However, the Welsh Government has not said what situation the pandemic needs to be in to require an election delay, and our continued support would require the Welsh Government to specify what the “bar” will need to be before the First Minister formally requests an delay.
“We also note that the Bill would include other content, and recognise some of this has merit, including the reduction in Dissolution to 7 calendar days before an election. However, we are concerned that some proposed content may only be introduced as Welsh Government amendments at a later date.
“Delaying the Welsh General Election due to take place on the 6th May would have huge ramifications, with many feeling disenfranchised, especially when the Pandemic has shone such a bright light on Devolved Government in Wales.
“Welsh Conservatives have always maintained that the Welsh Parliament elections should take place on the 6th May 2021, except in exceptional emergency circumstances.”
ENDS