Carmarthen East and Dinefwr (Assembly constituency)

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
National Assembly for Wales county constituency
Carmarthen East and Dinefwr shown within the Mid and West Wales electoral region and the region shown within Wales
Current National Assembly for Wales county constituency
Created	1999
Party	Plaid Cymru
AM	Rhodri Glyn Thomas
Preserved county	Dyfed

Carmarthen East and Dinefwr is a constituency of the National Assembly for Wales. It elects one Assembly Member by the first past the post method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the Mid and West Wales electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to eight constituency members, to produce a degree of proportional representation for the region as a whole.

It has been held since its formation in 1999 by the Plaid Cymru politician, Rhodri Glyn Thomas. However, Thomas has announced that he will stand down at the 2016 Assembly Election.

Boundaries

1999 to 2007

The constituency was created for the first election to the Assembly, in 1999, with the name and boundaries of the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Westminster constituency. It was a Dyfed constituency, one of five constituencies covering, and entirely within, the preserved county of Dyfed.

The other four Dyfed constituencies were Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Llanelli and Preseli Pembrokeshire. They were all within the Mid and West Wales electoral region.

The region consisted of the eight constituencies of Brecon and Radnorshire, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Llanelli, Meirionnydd Nant Conwy, Montgomeryshire and Preseli Pembrokeshire.

From 2007

The constituency includes the whole of 41 Carmarthenshire communities (Abergwili; Ammanford; Betws; Cenarth; Cilycwm; Cwmamman; Cynwyl Gaeo; Dyffryn Cennen; Gorslas; Llanarthney; Llanddarog; Llanddeusant; Llandeilo; Llandovery; Llandybie; Llandyfaelog; Llanegwad; Llanfair-ar-y-bryn; Llanfihangel Aberbythych; Llanfihangel-ar-Arth; Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn; Llanfynydd; Llangadog; Llangathen; Llangeler; Llangunnor; Llangyndeyrn; Llanllawddog; Llanllwni; Llansadwrn; Llansawel; Llanwrda; Llanybydder; Llanycrwys; Manordeilo and Salem; Myddfai; Newcastle Emlyn; Pencarreg; Quarter Bach; St Ishmael; Talley).

Boundaries changed for the 2007 Assembly election. Carmarthen East and Dinefwr remains one of five Dyfed constituencies and one of eight constituencies in the Mid and West Wales region. However, boundaries within Dyfed changed, to realign them with local government ward boundaries and to reduce the disparities in the sizes of constituency electorates, and the boundaries of the region changed, to align them with the boundaries of preserved counties.

The other four Dyfed constituencies are, again, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Llanelli and Preseli Pembrokeshire, all within the Mid and West Wales electoral region.

The region consists of the constituencies of Brecon and Radnorshire, Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, Dwyfor Meirionnydd, Llanelli, Montgomeryshire and Preseli Pembrokeshire.

For Westminster purposes, the same new constituency boundaries will become effective for the 2010 United Kingdom general election.

Voting

In general elections for the National Assembly for Wales, each voter has two votes. The first vote may be used to vote for a candidate to become the Assembly Member for the voter's constituency, elected by the first past the post system. The second vote may be used to vote for a regional closed party list of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the d'Hondt method, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation.

Assembly Members

Period		Member	Party
	1999	Rhodri Glyn Thomas	Plaid Cymru

Elections

Elections in the 2010s

Welsh Assembly Election 2016: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Plaid Cymru	Adam Price	14,427	48.5	+3.6
	Labour	Steve Jeacock	5,727	19.2	−10.8
	Conservative	Matthew Paul[1]	4,489	15.1	−5.2
	UKIP	Neil Hamilton[2]	3,474	11.7	+11.7
	Liberal Democrats	William Powell	837	2.8	−2
	Green	Freya Amsbury	797	2.7	+2.7
Majority			8,700
Turnout				53.7	+2.4
	Plaid Cymru hold		Swing	+7.2

Welsh Assembly Election 2011: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr[3]
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Plaid Cymru	Rhodri Glyn Thomas	12,501	44.9	−8.6
	Labour	Antony Jones	8,353	30.0	+5.5
	Conservative	Henrietta Elizabeth Hensher	5,635	20.2	+4.3
	Liberal Democrats	Will Griffiths	1,339	4.8	−1.2
Majority			4,148	14.9	-14.0
Turnout			27,828	51.3	−3.6
	Plaid Cymru hold		Swing	−7.1

Elections in the 2000s

Welsh Assembly Election 2007: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Plaid Cymru	Rhodri Glyn Thomas	15,655	53.5	+5.0
	Labour	Kevin Madge	7,186	24.6	−6.7
	Conservative	Henrietta Elizabeth Hensher	4,676	16.0	+2.6
	Liberal Democrats	Ian Alexander Walton	1,752	6.0	−1.0
Majority			8,469	28.9	+11.7
Turnout			29,269	55.7	+6.2
	Plaid Cymru hold		Swing	+5.9

Welsh Assembly Election 2003: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Plaid Cymru	Rhodri Glyn Thomas	12,969	48.5	−4.6
	Labour	Anthony C. Cooper	8,355	31.2	−0.5
	Conservative	Harri J. Lloyd Davies	3,576	13.4	+4.9
	Liberal Democrats	Steffan John	1,866	7.0	+0.2
Majority			4,614	17.2	−4.2
Turnout			26,766	49.5	−11.4
	Plaid Cymru hold		Swing	−2.1

Elections in the 1990s

Welsh Assembly Election 1999: Carmarthen East and Dinefwr
Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Plaid Cymru	Rhodri Glyn Thomas	17,328	53.1	N/A
	Labour	Chris W. Llewelyn	10,348	31.7	N/A
	Conservative	Helen Stoddart	2,776	8.5	N/A
	Liberal Democrats	Juliana M-J Hughes	2,202	6.7	N/A
Majority			6,980	21.4	N/A
Turnout			32,654	61.0	N/A
	Plaid Cymru win (new seat)

References

1. "News". Carmarthen East and Dinefwr Conservatives. Retrieved 8 March 2016.
2. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-35653196
3. "Wales elections > Carmarthen East and Dinefwr". BBC News. 6 May 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.

Coordinates: 51°56′N 4°06′W / 51.933°N 4.100°W