Greens say they could be 'kingmakers' after Senedd election
Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesThe Greens have launched their Welsh election campaign, telling voters they could be the "kingmakers" when a new government is formed.
In its pitch to win its first ever seats in the Senedd, the party says it could have a crucial role in deciding who gets to be first minister, in exchange for getting some of its policies enacted.
Leader Zack Polanksi said his party would negotiate with a new government to get rent controls, bring down water bills and replace council tax.
Meanwhile party figures accused Plaid Cymru of being too "centrist" and not "left-wing". Voters go to the polls on 7 May.
Welsh Labour's Mark Drakeford has said that left-wing parties could team up to stop Nigel Farage's party from forming a government.
It is thought to be unlikely that any single party will win a majority under the new voting system for the Senedd election, which aims to better reflect how people vote.
As a result, parties will be likely to need some kind of agreement before a first minister can be elected. The Greens have ruled out working with Reform.
They have never won a seat in the Welsh Parliament - one senior figure said they are confident they could win at least five seats, enough to form a Senedd group.
One candidate, Tessa Marshall, said she thought the party could win ten.
Polanski, leader of the Green Party of England and Wales, told the event in Cardiff: "The Greens could be the kingmakers at this election.
"We know there will be a new government in Cardiff Bay."
He said every Green that is elected to the Senedd would "be a Green in those negotiations who is standing up" for rent controls, "to make sure we are bringing down water bills by working towards public ownership of the water companies", and for replacing council tax.
Polanksi said polls indicate the party could win "five, six, maybe even more Senedd members, depending on which poll you believe".
Wales has been "screwed over by a Westminster government over and over again", he said.
"Over and over again it hasn't been given the support, the money, the powers it needs."
Matthew Horwood/Getty ImagesWelsh Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter said his party "will be deciding and directing the direction of the next Welsh government".
"At a time of cost of living crisis, nature degradation and climate chaos, our voice, our political policies have never been more needed," he said.
Asked why left-wing voters should back the Greens over Plaid Cymru, if the latter has a better chance of winning the election, Slaughter said the Greens were the "only left-wing party in Wales".
Tessa Marshall, a candidate in the election, said: "Plaid are not a left-wing party. They may be masquerading as it in the south maybe.
"But we know the core of their policies are perhaps a bit more centrist than some people would like," she said. accusing Plaid of having "already rolled back on Net Zero".
The party is pro-Welsh independence. Polanski said it was "a matter for the people of Wales and its not up to me to decide".
Both him and Slaughter said it was not an issue for the election.
Slaughter told BBC Wales: "Plaid Cymru and Reform will be the two biggest parties we assume but they will need support to form a government.
"But Welsh Green support for a future Welsh government doesn't come cost free.
"We are not there to just support a party for being the least offensive party. We are there are to deliver on the promises we are making to the people of Wales."
