All candidates for future Senedd election must live in Wales under new Welsh Government plans. Other proposed changes include introducing gender quotas, a ban on party defection as well as a requirement for independent candidates to disclose their membership of any political party, BBC Wales has reported.
These proposed plans come as part of the Senedd reform package, which will also see the number of Members of Senedd (MSs) increase from 60 to 96. The Welsh Government will provide an update by Easter of this year it says, but not everyone agrees with these new proposals.
Under these plans, a MS will be prevented from leaving a political party to join another at the Senedd. Gender quotas are also being proposed to ensure better female representation at the governing body, but there are some uncertainty whether the Senedd has the legal power to enforce such a change. The aim is to introduce these changes for the next Senedd election, which will be held in 2026.
