THE Wales Green Party announced its candidates for the Senedd elections today, with the five leading candidates on the regional list ballot each signing a ‘green transformation pledge.

The pledge outlines five promises to voters, including “truly affordable homes for all”, tackling the climate emergency, “well-funded, modern healthcare in our communities”, education “fit for today and the future”, and standing up to “Westminster’s power-grab”.

Amelia Womack, the deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, is also the lead candidate on the South Wales East list, as well as the constituency candidate for Newport West.

Ms Womack is deputy leader of the Green Party of England and Wales

Ms Womack said: “These elections are some of the most exciting in the history of Wales, with the possibility to shape a post-covid future which is resilient, strong and equal.

“Every Green elected will work constructively with other parties to transform Wales, by investing locally in our communities.”

The Greens recently announced they would back Welsh independence in a referendum.

While the Green Party have never won a seat in the Senedd, in 2016, they did win 30,211 regional list votes, 3 per cent of all votes. They also received 25,202 constituency votes - the most they had ever received.

As the seventh largest party in terms of vote share, they were most successful party to not win any seats.

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The Welsh Green Party’s only representation at Westminster came in the 1992 election, when they formed an alliance with Plaid Cymru to elect Cynog Dafis on a joint Plaid/Green ticket in Ceredigon.

In Scotland, the Scottish Greens, which is an independent party from the Green Party of England and Wales, has six MSP’s.

Wales' Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter, who is the lead candidate on the South Wales Central list, admits the Greens are not going to form the next Welsh Government, but says “by voting Green you can elect a voice to the Senedd demanding action that will secure our future”.

He added: “The great thing about the Senedd election is that it’s a partially fairer voting system, so if you don’t want to waste your vote, the sensible vote on the regional ballot is for a party who can actually win.

"In almost of all of Wales, that’s not Labour- in my own region they have never won a regional seat, in all 20 years of Senedd elections.”

While Labour have won the most votes in South Wales Central in every Senedd election to date, the electoral system means this total is divided by one plus the number of consistency seats Labour wins in the region, which has always been high.

Parties like the Greens who are unlikely to win any constituency seats therefore have an advantage on the regional lists.

Two of the party’s lead candidates on the regional lists, Iolo Jones and Megan Poppy Lloyd, are from the Young Green Party, meaning they are under 30 or full-time students.

The Green Party’s manifesto for the Senedd elections is launched on Monday.

The full list of Green Party candidates:

Regional lists:

South Wales East

  • Amelia Womack
  • Ian Chandler
  • Lauren James
  • Stephen Priestnall

South Wales Central

  • Anthony Slaughter
  • Helen Westhead            
  • David Griffin     
  • Debra Cooper   

Mid and West Wales

  • Emily Durrant   
  • Tomos Barlow  
  • Harry Hayfield  
  • Marc Pearton-Scale   

South Wales West

  • Megan Poppy Lloyd       
  • Chris Evans       
  • Alex Harris        
  • Tom Muller        

North Wales

  • Iolo Jones          
  • Duncan Rees     
  • Adam Turner    
  • Linda Rogers

Constituency

  • Newport West - Amelia Womack
  • Monmouth - Ian Chandler
  • Vale of Glamorgan - Anthony Slaughter
  • Cardiff Central - Ceri Davies
  • Cardiff North - Debra Cooper
  • Cardiff South and Penarth - Helen Westhead
  • Cardiff West - David Griffin
  • Pontypridd - Ken Barker
  • Brecon & Radnorshire - Emily Durrant
  • Ceredigion - Harry Hayfield
  • Neath - Megan Poppy Lloyd
  • Swansea West - Chris Evans
  • Gower - Anna Pigott

This article originally appeared on the Argus' sister paper The National.