Janet Finch-Saunders MS has challenged the Welsh Government to produce evidence that it has the power to force gender quotas upon the voters of Wales.
The Member of the Welsh Parliament for Aberconwy pointed out that there are significant doubts as to whether the Welsh Government even has the legal authority to introduce such radical changes to the way politicians are elected.
Under Labour and Plaid Cymru’s proposals, which include spending £100 million on an additional 36 politicians in Cardiff Bay, candidate lists for each party would be “zipped”, alternating between men and women.
These plans, apart from their huge cost, would also seek to elect Members of the Welsh Parliament based on whether they happen to be male or female, rather than on merit.
Questioning the Welsh Government today, Janet said:
“There are clearly serious legal and constitutional questions as to whether the Welsh Government has power to introduce such radical changes to our electoral laws.
“Attempting to enforce these quotas at a national level on all parties is completely without precedent in our democracy.
“It also raises the question of those who do not identify as either male or female, and thus would not place themselves in either category.
“This demonstrates the issue with trying to select elected representatives on the basis of arbitrary characteristics: that particular groups or cross-sections of society will always feel excluded in some way.
“That is why, in this country, we have always thrived on the uniting principle of meritocracy; the best person gets the job. These proposals are in complete opposition to that spirit”.
ENDS
