Latest headlines
- Labour win 29 seats - but fall short of a majority
- UKIP wins its first seats in the Assembly
- Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood ousts Labour in Rhondda
- Mapping the election - see party vote share by constituency across Wales
Scoreboard
| Party | Candidates | Votes | % | Net percentage change in seats |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party PC Plaid Cymru | CandidatesLeanne Wood | Votes11,891 | 50.6% | Net percentage change in seats+21.1 |
| Party LAB Welsh Labour | CandidatesLeighton Andrews | Votes8,432 | 35.9% | Net percentage change in seats−27.3 |
| Party UKIP UKIP Wales | CandidatesStephen Clee | Votes2,203 | 9.4% | Net percentage change in seats+9.4 |
| Party CON Welsh Conservative | CandidatesMaria Hill | Votes528 | 2.2% | Net percentage change in seats−2.6 |
| Party GRN Wales Green Party | CandidatesPat Matthews | Votes259 | 1.1% | Net percentage change in seats+1.1 |
| Party LD Welsh Liberal Democrat | CandidatesRhys Taylor | Votes173 | 0.7% | Net percentage change in seats−1.7 |
Change compared with 2011 | ||||
Turnout and Majority
Plaid Cymru Majority
3,459Turnout
47.2%Constituency Profile
Rhondda is in the south Wales valleys to the north west of Cardiff.
It includes former mining communities such as Porth, Tonypandy and Treorchy. Rhondda suffers relatively high levels of unemployment - nearly double the UK rate at more than 11% - despite various schemes to revitalise the area after the pits closed. Nearly a quarter of working age people here receive benefits - double the British average. It saw the biggest shock of the first assembly election in 1999 when Plaid Cymru won a seat that had been - and continues to be - rock-solid Labour at Westminster. Leighton Andrews won the seat for Labour in 2003 with a majority of nearly 8,000 and defended it comfortably in 2007 and 2011.
Last time round Labour won a majority of 6,739 with 63.2% of the vote, followed by Plaid Cymru on 29.5%, the Conservatives 4.8% and Lib Dems 2.5%. Economic regeneration and transport links are key local issues and, with Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood challenging one of Welsh Labour's big beasts, Rhondda looks set to be one of the most high-profile contests of the election.
