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Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood applies for dual candidacy Plaid Cymru's Leanne Wood applies for dual candidacy
(34 minutes later)
Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has applied to stand in two seats in next year's Assembly election, her party has confirmed. Plaid Cymru leader Leanne Wood has applied to stand as both a regional and a constituency candidate in the 2016 assembly election, her party has said.
In 2013 she said she would stand in Rhondda, but she will now also defend her South Wales Central seat. She will stand in Rhondda and defend her South Wales Central regional seat.
A ban on candidates standing for election in both regional and constituency seats has been lifted. Candidates are no longer banned from standing in the two types of seat, with regional AMs elected under a form of proportional representation.
Reacting to the news, Labour's Leighton Andrews, who currently holds the seat, said he would only stand in Rhondda. It means that if Ms Wood fails to win Rhondda she is still likely to be elected via the regional list.
Meanwhile Labour's Alun Davies called Ms Wood's decision "disappointing". Labour's Public Services Minister Leighton Andrews, who currently holds the seat, said he would only stand in Rhondda.
In 2014, Ms Wood said she would "probably" stand as a regional and constituency candidate if able to do so. Meanwhile, another Labour AM, Alun Davies, called Ms Wood's decision "disappointing".
In 2014, Ms Wood said she would "probably" stand as a regional and a constituency candidate if able to do so.
Of the 60 assembly members, 40 represent constituency seats and 20 are elected from five regional lists.Of the 60 assembly members, 40 represent constituency seats and 20 are elected from five regional lists.
'Insurance policy'
Regional AMs are elected via lists of candidates submitted by political parties, in a system designed to make the overall number of AMs elected from each party more closely match their level of support from voters.
If a politician wins a constituency seat, they are removed from the regional list during the counting process.
At the 2007 and 2011 assembly elections, candidates were barred from standing for both constituencies and regional seats, following criticism that it was an "insurance policy" allowing politicians rejected by the voters in an individual constituency to become regional AMs.
In the 2011 assembly election, Ms Wood was top of Plaid Cymru's list of candidates for the South Wales Central region.