A map showing the result of the referendum by unitary authority.
Key:
██ Yes vote ██ No vote

The Welsh referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Wales only over whether there was support for the creation of an assembly for Wales. Unlike the referendum in Scotland, there was no proposal for the assembly to have tax varying powers. The referendum was a manifesto commitment of the Labour Party and was held in their first term after the United Kingdom general election, 1997. This was the second referendum held in Wales over the question of devolution, the first being the Wales referendum, 1979. Ballots of the Argentine plebiscite of 1984 on the border treaty with Chile A referendum (plural: referendums or referenda) or plebiscite (from Latin plebiscita, originally a decree of the Concilium Plebis) is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. ... This article is about the country. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following a 1997 referendum in which a small majority of voters (but not the electorate) voted in favour of the Labour Governments plans for devolution. ... The Scotland referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Scotland only, over whether there was support for the creation of an assembly for Scotland and whether there was support for an assembly with tax varying powers. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in the United Kingdom. ... The UK general election, 1997 was held on 1 May 1997. ... Devolution or home rule is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at national, regional or local level. ... In a referendum on St Davids Day (March 1) 1979, the people of Wales voted against proposals by the Labour government of the United Kingdom to establish a Welsh Assembly. ...

A map showing the strength of the 'Yes' votes cast in the referendum by unitary authority.
Key:
██ 30.1-39.9% of vote ██ 40.1-49.9% of vote ██ 50.1-59.9% of vote ██ 60.1%+ of vote

One of the factors that made the referendum controversial was that Wales has a much greater immigrant and transient population than Scotland. A previous referendum on devolution, held in 1979, had resulted in a majority against, whereas in Scotland the vote had been in favour. It was generally believed that the Labour government scheduled the referendum as it did because it foresaw the embarrassment of a defeat, and therefore arranged for the Scotland referendum to be held slightly earlier, in the hope that the anticipated result would influence the Welsh result. ^{[citation needed]} Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (882x992, 24 KB) This is a map of the result of the 1997 referendum on devolution held in Wales on 18 Sept 1997. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (882x992, 24 KB) This is a map of the result of the 1997 referendum on devolution held in Wales on 18 Sept 1997. ... Devolution or home rule is the statutory granting of powers from the central government of a state to government at national, regional or local level. ... For the song by The Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ...

Party support

Welsh Labour, Plaid Cymru and the Liberal Democrats campaigned for the 'Yes' vote. The Conservative party was the only major party to support the 'No' vote. The Wales Labour Party, also known as Welsh Labour, is the part of the Labour Party which operates in Wales. ... Plaid Cymru (pronounced IPA: ) – The Party of Wales, is the principal nationalist political party in Wales. ... The Liberal Democrats, often shortened to Lib Dems, are a liberal political party based in the United Kingdom. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

A map showing the strength of the 'No' votes cast in the referendum by unitary authority.
Key:
██ 30.1-39.9% of vote ██ 40.1-49.9% of vote ██ 50.1-59.9% of vote ██ 60.1%+ of vote

Results

The referendum was held on September 18, 1997, a week after the referendum in Scotland. In the end, the result was extremely close, and everything hung on voting figures for the last unitary authority to be announced, which carried the "Yes" vote. September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1997 (MCMXCVII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Scotland referendum of 1997 was a pre-legislative referendum held in Scotland only, over whether there was support for the creation of an assembly for Scotland and whether there was support for an assembly with tax varying powers. ...

The electorate were asked to indicate whether: '1. I agree that there should be a Welsh Assembly; or 2. I do not agree that there should be a Welsh Assembly.' In politics, an electorate is the group of people entitled to vote in an election. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following a 1997 referendum in which a small majority of voters (but not the electorate) voted in favour of the Labour Governments plans for devolution. ...

Government response

In response to the majority voting for Yes, the government passed the Government of Wales Act 1998, creating the Welsh Assembly. The Government of Wales Act, 1998 (1998 c. ... The National Assembly for Wales (or NAW) (Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was established in 1998, following a 1997 referendum in which a small majority of voters (but not the electorate) voted in favour of the Labour Governments plans for devolution. ...

See also

• Referendums in the United Kingdom