POLLING cards have to dropped through letterboxes and in just a few weeks the people of Wales will go to the ballots for the Assembly elections.

In the run-up to the election on May 5, the Argus will carry profiles for the candidates who will be trying to win votes from the people of Gwent.

Schools, libraries, village halls and a multitude of other buildings which are transformed into polling stations for the day will open between 7am and 10pm as people vote in their 60 AMs in both local and five regional seats.

In Gwent, there are seats in Newport East, Newport West, Islwyn, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent and Monmouth as well as the South East Wales regional seat up for grabs.

Recent AMs, John Griffiths, Rosemary Butler, Lynne Neagle,and Nick Ramsay are re-standing for election, but Irene James and Trish Law are both standing down.

As reported in the Argus in September, Mrs Law announced her decision to step down after mulling over her future and deciding a commitment to serve until 2015 was too big for her to make.

She swept into power in May 2007 on a wave of anti-Labour feeling following the party's decision to force an all-woman shortlist in the constituency, taking more than half the votes and securing a majority of 4,464.

Mrs Law became an AM following the death of husband Peter from a brain tumour in April 2006. She stood in a by-election in June 2006, saying she wanted to continue her late husband's good work.

She now intends to focus more time on her family, who she admits have played second fiddle to her job in recent years.

Everyone votes twice, for their local and regional candidate, and the first past the post system means the candidate with the highest number of votes wins.

To get an outright majority, a party will need to win 31 seats but Labour got into power in 1999 and 2003 with 28 and 30 seats respectively.

Without an overall majority, two parties can form a coalition, as was the case in 2007 when Labour and Plaid Cymru won 26 and 15 seats respectively.

However, in March, then Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones said he would find it "very difficult" to do any deals with Conservatives or Liberal Democrats due to the heavy funding cuts imposed by the coalition government in Westminster.

Once one or more parties have secured power, a First Minister and Deputy First Minster will be appointed, as well as a 14-person cabinet.