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The Ballot Box |
General Elections | By-elections | Minority Parties | Women and the vote
General ElectionsDuring the twentieth century four political parties dominated Welsh politics, the Labour Party, the Liberal Party, the Conservative Party and Plaid Cymru/ The Party of Wales. The Liberal Party reached the peak of its success during the 1906 General Election, but by the 1966 General Election the Labour Party was dominant. The 1983 General Election brought great success to the Conservative Party, and by the election for the National Assembly for Wales, 1999, Plaid Cymru had its greatest ever success. |
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By-electionsThere were many important by-elections in Wales during the twentieth century. There was internal friction within the Liberal Party between supporters of David Lloyd George and supporters of Asquith during the 1921 by-election in Cardigan. Two of Wales' most prominent figures, W. J. Gruffydd and Saunders Lewis contested the University of Wales by-election in 1943. In the Carmarthen by-election of 1966 Gwynfor Evans won the first ever seat for Plaid Cymru. The 1985 by-election in Brecon and Radnor produced one of the closest ever results when the Liberal Alliance candidate, Richard Livsey won the seat by only 559 votes. |
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Minority PartiesMany other parties existed in Wales apart from the four main parties. The Communist Party gained support in some of the south Wales industrial communities during the first half of the 20th century. A candidate stood for the Welsh Republican Movement in the 1950 General Election and the Green Party played a major role in Cynog Dafis's successful campaign in the 1992 General Election. |
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Women and the VoteThe campaign for women's suffrage began at the end of the 19th century, and during the early part of the 20th century the government introduced various Acts of Parliament concerning women and the vote. Megan Lloyd George was the first female candidate to win a parliamentary seat in Wales. As the century wore on, there were more and more female MPs and MEPs; and due to the use of a new system of choosing candidates by some parties, a high proportion of women were elected to the National Assembly for Wales. |
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