Carmarthen East and Dinefwr () is a

constituency An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger State (polity), state (a country, administrative region, ...

of the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

. It elects one

Member of the Senedd A Member of the Senedd (MS; plural: ''MSs''; cy, Aelodau o'r Senedd; , plural:) (AS)., group=la is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; ). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd ...

by the

first past the post In a first-past-the-post electoral system (FPTP or FPP), formally called single-member plurality voting (SMP) when used in single-member districts or informally choose-one voting in contrast to ranked voting, or score voting, voters cast their ...

method of election. Also, however, it is one of eight constituencies in the

Mid and West Wales Mid and West Wales or Mid and South West Wales refers to an ambiguous region of Wales that is sometimes used, consisting broadly of the preserved counties of Dyfed and Powys, sometimes Swansea and sometimes parts of Gwynedd. It is also used ...

electoral region, which elects four additional members, in addition to eight constituency members, to produce a degree of

proportional representation Proportional representation (PR) refers to a type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body. The concept applies mainly to geographical (e.g. states, regions) and political divis ...

for the region as a whole. It had been held since its formation in 1999 by the

Plaid Cymru Plaid Cymru ( ; ; officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left to left-wing, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. Plaid wa ...

politician,

Rhodri Glyn Thomas Rhodri Glyn Thomas (born 11 April 1953) is a Welsh politician. He was the Plaid Cymru National Assembly for Wales Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr from 1999 to 2016, when he did not re-stand for election. Following his retirement from the ...

until his retirement in 2016. It is now held by Plaid Cymru politician

Adam Price Adam Robert Price (born 23 September 1968) is a Welsh politician serving as the Leader of Plaid Cymru since 2018. , he has sat in the Senedd for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, having previously been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Carmart ...

, who became leader of the party in 2018.

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 The preserved counties of Wales are the eight current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of lieutenancy and shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and othe ...

Dyfed Dyfed () is a preserved county in southwestern Wales. It is a mostly rural area with a coastline on the Irish Sea and the Bristol Channel. Between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was also the name of the area's county council and the name remains in use f ...

. The other four Dyfed constituencies were Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire,

Ceredigion Ceredigion ( , , ) is a county in the west of Wales, corresponding to the historic county of Cardiganshire. During the second half of the first millennium Ceredigion was a minor kingdom. It has been administered as a county since 1282. Cere ...

Llanelli Llanelli ("St Elli's Parish"; ) is a market town and the largest community in Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales. It is located on the Loughor estuary north-west of Swansea and south-east of the county town, Carmarthen. ...

and

Preseli Pembrokeshire Preseli Pembrokeshire (, ; cy, Preseli Sir Benfro) was one of six local government districts of Dyfed in West Wales from 1974 to 1996. Until 1987 the name of the district was Preseli. The district took its name from the Preseli Hills. Creation Th ...

. 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 Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

and Preseli Pembrokeshire.

From 2007

The constituency includes the whole of 41 Carmarthenshire

communities A community is a Level of analysis, social unit (a group of living things) with commonality such as place (geography), place, Norm (social), norms, religion, values, Convention (norm), customs, or Identity (social science), identity. Communiti ...

(

Abergwili Abergwili () is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the confluence of the rivers Towy and Gwili, close to the town of Carmarthen. It is also an electoral ward. The community includes the settlements of Peniel, Llanfihangel- ...

;

Ammanford Ammanford ( cy, Rhydaman) is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, with a population of 5,411 at the 2011 census. It is a former coal mining town. The built-up area had a population of 7,945 with the wider urban area even bigger. Acco ...

; Betws; Cenarth;

Cilycwm Cilycwm ( cy, Cil-y-cwm, ) is a village and parish located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community population taken at the 2011 census was 487. Cilycwm lies on the west bank of Afon Gwenlais, a tributary of the Tywi, north of the town of Lla ...

;

Cwmamman Cwmamman is a community in Carmarthenshire, about 12 miles north of Swansea in southwest Wales. Literally meaning "Amman valley", it takes its name from the River Amman which runs through the area. Cwmamman was the original name of the area but ...

;

Cynwyl Gaeo Cynwyl Gaeo is a parish and community located in rural Carmarthenshire, Wales, near the boundary with Ceredigion, in the upper Cothi valley about halfway between Lampeter and Llandovery. The population of the village at the United Kingdom Census ...

;

Dyffryn Cennen Dyffryn Cennen is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 1,176. The community is bordered by the communities of: Manordeilo and Salem; Llangadog; Cwmamman; Llandybie; Llanfih ...

;

Gorslas Gorslas is a village and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, located on the A476 road northwest of Cross Hands. The village population at the 2011 census was 4,066. Neighbouring villages are Cefneithin and Penygroes. The community is border ...

;

Llanarthney Llanarthney ( cy, Llanarthne; ) is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. Situated on the B4300 road 12 km (7.5 miles) east of Carmarthen and 10 km (6 miles) west of Llandeilo, the community had a population at the ...

;

Llanddarog Llanddarog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales.The community population at the 2011 census was 1,198., and includes the villages of Cwmisfael, Mynyddcerrig and Porthyrhyd. The community is bordered by the communities of: Llana ...

; Llanddeusant;

Llandeilo Llandeilo () is a town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, situated at the crossing of the River Towy by the A483 on a 19th-century stone bridge. Its population was 1,795 at the 2011 Census. It is adjacent to the westernmost point of the B ...

;

Llandovery Llandovery (; cy, Llanymddyfri ) is a market town and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It lies on the River Tywi and at the junction of the A40 and A483 roads, about north-east of Carmarthen, north of Swansea and west of Brecon. Histo ...

;

Llandybie Llandybie ( cy, Llandybïe , " Saint Tybie's church") is a community which includes a large village of the same name situated north of Ammanford in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the United Kingdom Census 2001, Llandybie village itself is ...

;

Llandyfaelog Llandyfaelog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. According to the 2001 census the community has a population of 1,272, of which 71.88 percent are Welsh speaking. The population at the 2011 Census had increased to 1,304. The commu ...

;

Llanegwad Llanegwad () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population taken at the 2011 census was 1,473. Llanegwad is built up mainly of small farms and detached homes. The community is bordered by the communities of: Llanfihangel Rhos ...

;

Llanfair-ar-y-bryn Llanfair-y-bryn is the name of a sparsely populated, rural community and Church in Wales parish in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Covering an area of some 95 km², it lies along and to the northwest and southeast of the A483 Swansea to Chester road ...

;

Llanfihangel Aberbythych Llanfihangel Aberbythych is a Community (Wales), community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population recorded at the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 census was 1,344. It is bordered by Llangathen, Llandeilo, Dyffryn Cennen, Llandybie, Gorslas a ...

;

Llanfihangel-ar-Arth Llanfihangel-ar-Arth is a village and a community in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The area includes six villages: Alltwalis, Dolgran, Gwyddgrug, Llanfihangel-Ar-Arth, New Inn and Pencader. The population of the community taken at the ...

;

Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn is a sparsely populated community of Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 468. The community is bordered by the communities of: Llanybydder; Llansawel; Llanfynydd; Llan ...

;

Llanfynydd Llanfynydd is a village, parish and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The community population at the 2011 census was 499. It lies some 10 miles (16 km) north-east of the county town, Carmarthen. Bordering it are the communities of Llansaw ...

;

Llangadog Llangadog () is a village and community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales, which also includes the villages of Bethlehem and Capel Gwynfe. A notable local landscape feature is Y Garn Goch with two Iron Age hill forts.The Welsh Academy Encycloped ...

;

Llangathen Llangathen () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population taken at the 2011 census was 507. The parish church of St Cathen is a Grade II* listed building and houses the tomb of Anthony Rudd, an Elizabethan Bishop of St Dav ...

;

Llangeler Llangeler () is a hamlet and community located in north Carmarthenshire, Wales. The name is believed to refer to St. Gelert. Llangeler parish covers a wide area including to the west, the textile village of Drefach Felindre, Waungilwen, Cwmpen ...

;

Llangunnor Llangunnor is a village and community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is the southern suburb of Carmarthen town and consists mainly of typical suburban housing which has expanded in recent years. It has a small shop, two chapels, a church ...

;

Llangyndeyrn Llangyndeyrn () is a village, Community (Wales), community and electoral ward in the River Gwendraeth river valley, valley, Carmarthenshire, in Dyfed region of West Wales, United Kingdom. The village name is often spelt as Llangendeirne. The W ...

;

Llanllawddog Llanllawddog () is a community located in Carmarthenshire, south-west Wales. The population of the community taken at the 2011 census was 703. Llanllawddog is bordered by the Carmarthenshire communities of Llanfihangel-ar-Arth, Llanfihangel Rhos ...

;

Llanllwni Llanllwni is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, on the A485 road south-west of Llanybydder. To the south lies the mountain, Mynydd Llanllwni. The population of 638 recorded in the 2011 Census was estimated to be 692 in 2019. Th ...

;

Llansadwrn Llansadwrn (; ; ) is a small village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is located in the countryside above the valley of the River Tywi, about halfway between Llandovery (Welsh: Llanymddyfri) to the north-east, and Llandeilo to the ...

;

Llansawel Llansawel is a village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, about ten miles north of Llandeilo. It covers an area of . The community is bordered by the communities of: Pencarreg; Cynwyl Gaeo; Talley; Llanfynydd; Llanfihangel Rhos-y-Corn ...

;

Llanwrda Llanwrda () is both a village and a community in Carmarthenshire, Wales, southwest of Llandovery. It lies on the River Towy. The population in 2011 was 514. Transport and other features The village is served by Llanwrda railway station. The ...

;

Llanybydder Llanybydder (, sometimes formerly spelt ''Llanybyther'') is a market town and community straddling the River Teifi in Carmarthenshire, West Wales. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 1638, an increase from 1423 at the 2001 ...

;

Llanycrwys Llanycrwys is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. Situated in the historical Cayo Hundred in the Union of Lampeter, it is situated near the River Cothi, and is separated from the parish of Caio by the Afon Twrch, which flows near th ...

;

Manordeilo and Salem Manordeilo and Salem ( cy, Maenordeilo a Salem) is a community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales. The population taken at the 2011 census was 1,754. The community is bordered by the communities of: Talley; Llansadwrn; Llangadog; Dyffryn Cennen; ...

;

Myddfai Myddfai () is a small village and community in Carmarthenshire, Wales. It is situated south of Llandovery in the Brecon Beacons, and has a population of 415, decreasing to 398 at the 2011 census. The village is a popular tourist destination on ...

;

Newcastle Emlyn Newcastle Emlyn ( cy, Castellnewydd Emlyn) is a town on the River Teifi, straddling the counties of Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire in West Wales. It is also a community entirely within Carmarthenshire, bordered by those of Llangeler and Cenar ...

;

Pencarreg Pencarreg () is a village and community located in Carmarthenshire, Wales, to the south-west of Lampeter. Settlement is primarily grouped around the A485 road from Lampeter to Carmarthen, the primary settlement being Cwmann. The population in th ...

;

Quarter Bach Quarter Bach ( cy, Cwarter Bach) is a community located in the east of Carmarthenshire, Wales. Description It is at the foot of the Black Mountain, in the far east of the county. The main settlement here is Upper Brynamman, though it also inclu ...

; St Ishmael;

Talley Talley ( cy, Talyllychau, historically cy, Tal y Llychau, label=none) is a community and small village in Carmarthenshire, Wales.The population taken at the 2011 census was 494. The community is bordered by the communities of: Llansawel; Cy ...

). 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 Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

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,

and

, 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,

and Preseli Pembrokeshire. For Westminster purposes, the same new constituency boundaries became effective for the

2010 United Kingdom general election The 2010 United Kingdom general election was held on Thursday 6 May 2010, with 45,597,461 registered voters entitled to vote to elect members to the House of Commons. The election took place in 650 constituencies across the United Kingdom unde ...

Voting

In general elections for the Senedd, each voter has two votes. The first vote may be used to vote for a candidate to become the Member of the Senedd 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 Closed list describes the variant of party-list systems where voters can effectively only vote for political parties as a whole; thus they have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected. If voters had some in ...

of candidates. Additional member seats are allocated from the lists by the

d'Hondt method The D'Hondt method, also called the Jefferson method or the greatest divisors method, is a method for allocating seats in parliaments among federal states, or in party-list proportional representation systems. It belongs to the class of highest- ...

, with constituency results being taken into account in the allocation.

Assembly members and Members of the Senedd

Elections

Elections in the 2020s

Elections in the 2010s

Regional ballots rejected: 132

Elections in the 2000s

2003 Electorate: 54,110
Regional ballots rejected: 239

Elections in the 1990s

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Carmarthen East And Dinefwr (Assembly Constituency) Senedd constituencies in the Mid and West Wales electoral region 1999 establishments in Wales Constituencies established in 1999 Politics of Carmarthenshire