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( National Assembly for Wales)
by the Government of Wales Act 1998 Since May 12, 1999 The National Assembly for Wales (Welsh Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. The Assembly comprises 60 members, who are known as Assembly Members, or AMs (Welsh Aelod y Cynulliad). Members are elected for four year terms under an additional members system, where forty AMs represent geographical constituencies elected by the plurality system, and twenty AMs from five electoral regions using the d'Hondt method of proportional representation. Following a referendum in 1997, the Assembly was created by the Government of Wales Act 1998. Most of the powers of the Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales were transferred to the Assembly. When first created, the Assembly had no powers to initiate primary legislation. However, following the passing of the Government of Wales Act 2006, the Assembly now has powers to legislate in some areas, though still subject to the veto of the Secretary of State or Parliament.
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