Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:32 pm on 10 February 2021.
This is a Bill that nobody wants to see. We're all eager to see the people of Wales deciding as soon as possible, on the day appointed—6 May—as to who should formulate the Welsh Government for the next years. But, the crisis that we have lived through has been unprecedented in modern times, and the truth is that this virus is not one that respects the democratic process. However, I don't believe that we should have followed such a last-minute process to get to this point, but, having adopted an emergency process, I am confident that we have concluded with a Bill that is far stronger than it was at the beginning of the process. And what I mean by that is that it is more likely to secure fairness and equity for candidates, to those responsible for elections and, above all, to the constituents of Wales and the democratic process itself. As I've said on a number of occasions, this is a Bill, yes, to allow postponement if absolutely necessary, but also to allow the staging of an election. And yes, it allows postponement if necessary—if truly necessary—in order to secure a fair election in the face of the pandemic, but it should also help to ensure that an election can be held and that a comprehensive debate can be had with the people of Wales if that election is held, as we all hope to see, on 6 May.