Member of the National Assembly for Wales
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The National Assembly for Wales is composed of 60 members known as AMs or Assembly Members (in Welsh: ACau or Aelodau'r Cynulliad).
[edit] Methods of election
AMs are elected in one of two ways:
- First past the post constituency AMs or;
- Regional additional-member AMs
Forty are elected as constituency AMs 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.
[edit] Elections
All AMs positions become simultaneously vacant for elections held on a four year cycle. If a vacancy arises at another time, due to death or resignation, then it may be filled in one of two ways, depending of whether the vacancy is for a first-past-the-post constituency AM or for an additional-member AM.
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.
