Wales set for coalition government

Friday, 4 May 2007 12:00 AM

Labour leader Rhodri Morgan will spend the bank holiday weekend considering a return to coalition government, after his party lost its majority in the Welsh assembly.

With all the results now declared, Labour remain the largest single party in the assembly with 26, but are fall short of a majority.

Mr Morgan had promised he would resign if Labour did badly, but this morning insisted he was "upbeat" about the results.

56 of 60 seats declared

Both the Conservatives and Plaid Cymru have gained across Wales, while the Liberal Democrats have so far under-whelmed.

In total Labour had slipped to 26 seats, Plaid had gained to cement their opposition status with 15 seats and the Conservatives had also advanced to 12. The Liberal Democrats have six and there will be one independent AM.

Despite losing wealthy north Cardiff to the Conservatives and marginal Llanelli to the nationalists, Mr Morgan insisted Labour had "proved the doom-mongers wrong".

Speaking to reporters this morning, he admitted Labour "haven't won, but we haven't exactly lost", - in a position mirrored across the UK.

He said the party would discuss what happens next and would announce after the bank holiday if they will seek a coalition government.

Plaid Cymru insisted they would not "prop up" a defeated Labour, but leader Ieuan Wyn Jones indicated they would be willing to talk. Mr Jones also said the nationalists will not form a coalition with the Tories.

Labour could still seek out the Lib Dems as coalition partners. Speaking to the BBC, Lib Dem party representatives said today's result shows the people of Wales have decided no one party should command a majority.

Both the Tories and Plaid Cymru have been buoyed by their gains.

Conservative shadow welsh secretary Cheryl Gillian insisted the results show a "fundamental shift" towards the Tories. "Never have we been so united or so optimistic about the future," she claimed.

Mr Jones insisted Plaid had done well in its target seats. The result is "excellent news for us", he told the BBC.

The Welsh assembly now has its first ethnic minority AM, after Mohammad Asghar was elected to a south Wales east regional seat for Plaid.

However, in the north Wales regional seats, the British National Party were 2,580 votes shy of electing their first AM.

Labour culture minister Alun Hugh lost Clwyd west to the Conservative's Darren Millar. Plaid managed to hold Ceredigion against a strong challenge from the Lib Dems, who hold the Westminster seat.

Former Welsh secretary Ron Davies failed to take Caerphilly as an independent candidate.

Initial indications are that turnout was 43 per cent, an increase on the last assembly election.

Tags:
• conservatives
,
• domestic policy
,
• labour
,
• party politics
,
• plaid cymru
,
• wales