Rival Abolish the Welsh Assembly parties set up in bid to register party name

There are now two Abolish the Welsh Assembly parties in existence.

The number of Welsh Assemblies remains at zero, after the institution changed its name to Welsh Parliament in May.

The former leader of Abolish the Welsh Assembly, David Bevan, has set up a rival party, also called Abolish the Welsh Assembly, after falling out with the leaders of the current party.

The move comes after the Electoral Commission struck the original Abolish the Welsh Assembly party off the electoral record after David Bevan refused to sign the party’s annual return.

The original party, now led by Richard Suchorzewski, decided to let its registration lapse and then re-register, but did not anticipate that David Bevan would put in a rival bid to the Electoral Commission.

‘Two applications’

The new Abolish the Welsh Assembly party claims on its website that it will “be standing candidates in the Welsh 2021 elections, join our movement to abolish the wasteful and inept Assembly.”

Either of the parties will need to register candidates by February if they wish to take part in May’s election.

The Electoral Commission said: “Please note we have received two applications to register ‘Abolish the Welsh Assembly Party’. We will assess both applications in line with the legal requirements.”

The new Abolish the Assembly Party has unlike the original, put in an application for a Welsh language name: the incorrect Diddymu’r Parti Cynulliard.

It has also submitted an emblem that shows a wrecking ball hitting the Senedd building.