Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has given a speech on the steps of the Senedd to a crowd of hundreds in Cardiff Bay, vowing to "make Wales the best it possibly can be"
Plaid is now the largest party in Wales after winning 43 of the 96 seats in the Senedd - six short of a majority and Ap Iorwerth confirms he will be seeking a minority government
Labour suffered an historic collapse and First Minister Eluned Morgan is quitting as leader of Welsh Labour after losing her seat, with Ken Skates, taking the role on an interim basis
Reform came second with 34 seats - leader Dan Thomas said he was disappointed they didn't win but called them a "professional, disciplined, well-run party"
The Conservatives won seven seats, the Greens picked up their first two seats and the Liberal Democrats have one
Elections also took place in England and Scotland, where the SNP won its fifth election but fell short of majority.
David Deans
Wales political reporter at Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay
Rhun ap Iorwerth, who is looking likely to be the next first minister, has arrived in Ty Hywel, to massive applause from his victorious group.
We're expecting him to give a stump speech later on.
Polls at various points during this campaign had suggested that the Welsh Conservatives could potentially face a wipe out, but their leader Darren Millar was among seven members elected to return to the Senedd yesterday.
Richard John, leader of the Conservative group at Monmouthshire council, says he's feeling tired after a relentless campaign, as he joined BBC Radio Wales Breakfast to talk about his party's results, saying they were "a lot better than expected".
"It was tough during the campaign to see polls saying we might have one seat, we might have three seats, there were suggestions we could be wiped out all together.
"So really pleased to have seven really experienced Senedd members returned.
"I do worry that we’ve seen so many new Reform members elected who don’t have that experience, who have been elected on a platform of two fingers to the establishment and don't have the solutions that we need to really start to turn things around in Wales."
Journalist Megan Davies explains how to pronounce Rhun ap Iorwerth
How do you pronounce the new leader of Wales' name? And What does Plaid Cymru mean in English?
BBC journalist Megan Davies tells you all you need to know.
David Deans
Wales political reporter
I'm stood outside Siambr Hywel - the old debating chamber in the Ty Hywel office block connected to the Senedd - where Plaid Cymru members are gathering.
MSs, newly elected and returning, are walking to cheers from their colleagues. Presiding officer Elin Jones has just given Dafydd Trystan, the new MS for Caerdydd Fynnon Taf, a massive hug.
We are not allowed in - or to take pictures, yet. It's a private meeting.
But there will be a public gathering later.
Former Labour MS Julie Morgan says Eluned Morgan should be able to to "proud of the fact she is the first woman first minister in Wales.
"No one can take that from her," Morgan told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.
“She came in at a difficult time for Labour. She's absolutely put her heart and soul in it so I'd really like to pay tribute to Eluned as the first female leader in Wales.”
Speaking on what Morgan describes as a "awful situation", she thinks Labour must now take a "humble" approach.
"This is an awful situation, an awful result, worse than we imagined it could be.
"I mean, we've been here 27 years, we've led in ways for 27 years, and people did look for change.”
Image source, Matthew Horwood/Getty Images“I think she's able to be proud of the fact that she is a first woman first minister in Wales. No one can take that from her.”
Adrian Browne
Wales political reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesPlaid Cymru sees itself as a party of the left, closer in its thinking to Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens and opposed to Reform and the Conservatives on the right.
Left-wing is a term often thrown about but rarely defined.
On the whole it means a focus on social reform and believing in a larger role for government in tackling inequality.
Parties of the right, on the whole, tend to have more faith in "market forces" and reducing regulations and taxes to fulfil society's needs.
The one policy which doesn't necessarily sit on the left or the right is Plaid's belief that Wales, ultimately, should be an independent nation, no longer ruled from Westminster.
This policy was downplayed at this election, as something to build towards rather than something to focus on too much over the four years of a Plaid Cymru government.
Plaid Cymru and Reform saw significant increases in their share of votes, helping them end up as the Senedd's biggest parties.
Meanwhile, Labour's collapse saw their share of votes fall by more than 25% compared to the 2021 election, while the Tories also suffered a 14% drop.
The Greens' slight increase was enough to get them their first two Senedd members, and the Lib Dems' marginal increase saw them hold on to their sole member in the parliament.
Adrian Browne
BBC Wales political reporter
Image source, Getty ImagesDan Thomas burst on to the political scene in Wales and has become leader of the opposition after being chosen by Nigel Farage as Reform UK's Welsh leader earlier this year.
In his first appearance as leader at a Reform rally in Newport with Farage, Thomas said he was originally from Blackwood - "born and raised in the Welsh valleys, where my family lived for generations".
Both his grandfather and great grandfather were miners, he said, and he had "fond memories" of growing up in Wales - but left when he became an adult because "good opportunities" there were "few and far between".
He worked in financial services in London and became a councillor, and later Conservative leader, at Barnet council in the north of the capital.
In June 2025 Thomas defected from the Conservatives to Reform,, external and at the end of the year resigned from the council.
Local media quoted him saying he moved away from Barnet so that he and his wife could raise their young sons in the countryside and live closer to their families in south Wales.
Asked how in touch he was with events in Wales, Thomas said he had "kept abreast of Welsh politics", had family and friends in Wales and was "very informed" about the country's political scene.
Image source, Getty ImagesMark Williams served as leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats from 2016 to 2017
Jane Dodds said she had hoped not to be the only MS returned for her party - but that’s exactly how it played out yesterday.
Mark Williams, former leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, shared his reflections with BBC Radio Wales Breakfast this morning.
He says he's “bitterly disappointed” but there is an “overwhelming sense of relief” that Dodds has been re-elected and though it will be “very tough” for her, she'll do a “magnificent job” as the sole Lib Dem member of the Senedd.
Williams adds that he felt his party could have done better but people felt they had to tactically vote for Plaid to keep Reform out.
"I just feel that, going around my area and across mid Wales an overwhelming tactical vote was in evidence.
"Not diminishing Plaid’s victory, for which I congratulate them, but an overwhelming sense, certainly around here, of 'we have to stop Reform', and that in the end, in the last few days of this campaign obscured everything that we were trying to say."
Speaking to BBC Radio Wales Breakfast, polling expert Sir John Curtice, says: "Wales - you know, you don't need me to tell you - the place where Labour has not lost in a century comes not just third, but a poor third, just 11% of the vote."
He adds that "there was no doubt" that Labour faces significant questions about how it is going to get out of the deep, deep electoral hole in which they now find themselves.
Sir John says the relationship between Conservative and Labour supporters is not what it used to be, adding that "the demographic anchor of Conservative and Labour support, there is no longer a relationship between voting for those two parties and people's occupational position".
"It's age that matters, not occupation."
"The other crucial structural change is our politics is no longer about simply arguments about left versus right, about whether we want society to be more equal or whether we should be chasing economic growth.
"It's also about the so-called culture wars issues.”
In the wake of Labour's disastrous election performances across the UK, a number of the party's MPs are saying Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer should resign.
One senior Labour figure told the BBC's political editor Chris Mason that "everyone in Wales is saying this is all Starmer's fault".
Image source, Getty ImagesWales Green Party leader Anthony Slaughter was elected yesterday in Caerdydd Penarth alongside Paul Rock in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf.
“I’m feeling elated, it’s all sinking in, it’s an incredible moment for the Greens in Wales,” he told BBC Radio Wales this morning.
“This is just the beginning.
"I’ve been on the phone to all of the other candidates across Wales over the last few hours and they’re all very fired up, some obviously disappointed people who were hoping to get in, but they’re very fired up. We’re ready for the next stage.”
With two members they will not be kingmakers, but Slaughter insists he and Rock can make a big difference in the Senedd, working alongside other parties.
“I’m convinced we will work together on the issues where we share common ground... I’m excited there is a progressive majority in the Senedd. Reform have been shown the door,” he said.
Image source, Getty ImagesWales is devolved which means the Welsh government has full law-making powers in a number of areas such as health, education, transport, rural affairs and the environment.
The Welsh government is the party with the most seats, and it oversees the running of many public services.
But before any new laws are passed, they must be voted through by a majority of Members of the Senedd (MS).
This is the Welsh Parliament, or Senedd Cymru, and is made up of all the politicians elected to Cardiff Bay.
Its role is to scrutinise the Welsh government's work, including proposed new laws that ministers bring forward.
Plaid Cymru has 43 seats, six short of what they need for a majority, so to pass any laws, they must get support from some of the other parties - any of Reform's 34 politicians, Labour's nine, Conservatives' seven, Greens' two and Liberal Democrats' one.
With 16 constituencies and a new voting system, the Senedd was always going to change, but the balance of power has also shifted.
Wales has 96 politicians representing it - with six politicians for each constituency.
Plaid Cymru has the most seats, it and Reform have won in parts of Wales for the very first time, with Labour suffering record losses.
Here's how the election has changed Wales' political picture.
Image source, Getty Images/BBCLet's start with the name.
Rhun ap Iorwerth literally means Rhun, son of Iorwerth - Iorwerth being a Welsh form of Edward.
He was born in Tonteg, near Pontypridd, in south-east Wales, but grew up in the north-west of the country.
He spent his earliest years in Meirionnydd before moving to the island of Anglesey at the age of five.
After studying in Cardiff, he spent two decades as a reporter and presenter with BBC Wales until 2013 when he left and won the Ynys Môn seat in the Senedd after a by-election.
He became the leader of Plaid after Adam Price resigned in May 2023, with supporters pointing to his "strong communication skills" as being central to his appeal.
Adrian Browne
Wales political reporter
The new-43 strong Plaid Cymru group of Senedd members, including the man poised to be the first non-Labour Welsh first minister, meet for the first time later today.
Rhun ap Iorwerth and his team, exuberant from their dramatic election victory, have a lot to discuss in Cardiff Bay.
Expect the customary photo-op of the big new group for the media.
Away from the cameras, Plaid need to discuss their approach to other parties, before they nominate ap Iorwerth to lead the Welsh government.
Labour, the Greens and the Lib Dems have said they will not work with Reform, so there is very little chance of them ganging up to try to prevent the formation of a Plaid government.
But Plaid will not want to appear presumptuous, as the party will need some support from opposition politicians in the weeks, months and years ahead to win votes in the Senedd chamber including, crucially, the new government's spending plans.
After a momentous day in Wales yesterday, here is what you need to know:
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty ImagesPlaid Cymru is now the largest party in the Welsh Parliament for the first time with 43 seats, while Labour has suffered a crushing defeat after 27 years in power – and will only be sending nine MSs to the Senedd.
Although it is the biggest party, Plaid is still short of an overall majority of 49 and will need support from others to help govern. Leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said he will “reach out” to other parties to form a new Welsh government, and said his party will put him forward as first minister.
Eluned Morgan resigned as Welsh Labour leader after her defeat in the Ceredigion Penfro constituency, and said she took "responsibility" for her party's poor performance.
Elsewhere Reform won the second most seats with 34 – its best-ever result in a Senedd election. Welsh leader Dan Thomas declared Reform "the people's army".
We’ll be pausing our live page shortly, but join us again from 08:00 BST tomorrow as we look ahead to what comes next, including the next steps for Plaid as it seeks to form a new government and the fallout from Labour after such a crushing defeat.
For more on the Senedd election, catch the latest episode of Walescast, and you can read more about today's historic result here.
Today has been one of the most consequential Senedd elections since Wales' parliament was established in 1999.
We've rounded up the pictures which sum up the highs and lows of a historic day.
Image source, Getty ImagesChris Carter, Labour candidate in the Casnewydd Islwyn seat, took a few moments before the start of the count
Image source, Getty ImagesA labour member rests his head on his hand, looking down to the floor
Image source, PA MediaWales Reform leader Dan Thomas saw the party take 34 seats to become the Senedd's second-biggest party
Image source, Getty ImagesPlaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth saw his party become the largest in Wales for the first time
Image source, Getty ImagesJane Dodds will be "Billy no-mates" in the Senedd once again, as she was the only Lib Dem to be elected
Image source, Getty ImagesAnthony Slaughter, leader of the Wales Green Party, joined Paul Rock in becoming the first Greens to be elected to the Senedd.
Image source, Getty ImagesEluned Morgan lost her seat and resigned as Welsh Labour leader
Image source, PA MediaNatasha Asghar celebrated after she won the Casnewydd Islwyn seat for the Welsh Conservative Party
Steve Duffy
BBC Wales
Image source, Getty ImagesThere will be 52 male MSs and 44 females in the new Senedd
The gender balance in the Senedd has slightly improved following today’s election result, with female members making up 46% of the 2026 intake, compared to 43% in the previous Senedd.
There will be 52 male MSs and 44 females in the new Senedd, and there are only two constituencies - Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr and Ceredigion Penfro - where female MSs outnumber male ones.