PART 1The Assembly and Welsh Government

National Assembly for Wales

2Removal of restriction on standing for election for both constituency and electoral region

(1)

GOWA 2006 is amended as follows.

(2)

In section 7 (candidates at general elections)—

(a)

in subsection (5), for paragraph (c) (and the “or” before it) substitute—

“(c)

who is a candidate to be the Assembly constituency member for an Assembly constituency which is not included in the Assembly electoral region, or

(d)

who is a candidate to be the Assembly constituency member for an Assembly constituency included in the Assembly electoral region but is not a candidate of the party.”;

(b)

in subsection (6), for paragraph (c) (and the “or” before it) substitute—

“(c)

a candidate to be the Assembly constituency member for an Assembly constituency which is not included in the Assembly electoral region, or

(d)

a candidate of any registered political party to be the Assembly constituency member for an Assembly constituency included in the Assembly electoral region.”

(3)

In section 9 (allocation of seats to electoral region members)—

(a)

in subsection (4), after “as an” insert “Assembly constituency member or”;

(b)

in subsection (5), at the end insert “(disregarding anyone already returned as an Assembly constituency member, including anyone whose return is void)”;

(c)

in subsection (6), for the words from “by the return” to “(2)” substitute “(by the return of persons included on it as Assembly constituency members or by the previous application of subsection (1) or (2))”.

(4)

In section 11(8) (electoral region vacancies)—

(a)

for paragraphs (a) to (c) substitute—

“(a)

was returned as an Assembly member at that election (even if the return was void), or

(b)

has subsequently been returned under section 10 or this section (even if the return was void),”;

(b)

in the words after paragraph (c) omit “, or of the successful candidate at the election,”.