Referendum or popular consultation
Welsh devolution referendum, 1997
Voters narrowly approved a Welsh Assembly, by 50.3% to 49.7%, leading to the Government of Wales Act 1998.
What happened
Unlike the 1979 vote, the 1997 referendum was won, though narrowly: 50.3% of those voting (559,419 votes) backed a Welsh Assembly, a majority of 6,721 votes on a turnout of 50.3%.[1][2]
The result led to the Government of Wales Act 1998, which established the National Assembly for Wales as a single corporate body.[3][4]
Sources for this page
Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.
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1.
Claim: In the referendum of 18 September 1997, 50.3% of those voting (559,419 votes) backed a Welsh Assembly, on a turnout of 50.3% of the electorate; the majority was 6,721 votes.
- Jennings, Martin, Results of the National Assembly for Wales Referendum 2011 (National Assembly for Wales, Members' Research Service, March 2011) link, Table 3, "Wales" row. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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2.
Claim: The 1997 result was won by a majority of just 6,721 votes out of 559,419 cast in favour, out of 1,112,117 valid votes.
- Jennings, Martin, Results of the National Assembly for Wales Referendum 2011 (National Assembly for Wales, Members' Research Service, March 2011) link, Table 3, "Wales" row. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
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3.
Claim: The Government of Wales Act 1998 established the National Assembly for Wales as a single corporate body, following the 1997 devolution referendum.
- Government of Wales Act 1998 (The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), 1998) link, s. 1. Source record
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4.
Claim: The 1997 referendum result led to the Government of Wales Act 1998 and the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales in 1999.
- Senedd Cymru, History of Welsh devolution (Senedd Cymru) link, Timeline entries for 1997–1999. Government perspective or primary official source Source record
- Government of Wales Act 1998 (The National Archives (legislation.gov.uk), 1998) link, s. 1. Source record