Who can become a candidate?

To qualify as a candidate for election to the National Assembly for Wales, a person must be:

• at least 18 years old on both polling day and the day of nomination;
• a British citizen, a citizen of the Irish Republic, the Commonwealth or another member state of the European Union.

Before signing the consent to nomination, prospective candidates must check that they do not hold positions or are not specified office holders that would lead to their disqualification from being an Assembly Member. There are certain people who are disqualified from being elected to the National Assembly for Wales, if at the time of nomination or election they

• are:a judge;
• are a civil servant;
• are a member of the armed forces;
• are a member of a police force;
• are a member of a legislature of any country or territory outside the Commonwealth (other than Ireland);
• are employed as a member of staff of the Assembly;
• hold an office that is mentioned in

  The National Assembly for Wales (Disqualification) Order 2010

  ; (link opens in new window) or
• are the subject of a bankruptcy restrictions order or interim order.

A person may also be disqualified from election if they have been convicted or reported guilty of a corrupt or illegal practice by an election court.

Constituency and regional candidates

The National Assembly for Wales has 40 constituency Members and 20 Regional Members. The Government of Wales Act 2006 specifies that candidates cannot stand for election in a constituency and a region at the same time. Candidates may not stand for election in more than one Assembly constituency or more than one region. (The information on this page has been provided by the

Electoral Commission

as published on 20 May 2011)