ELECTORAL reform and global threats to democracy were on the agenda at Plaid Cymru’s conference on Saturday.

Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth took to the stage to chat with Electoral Reform Society Cymru’s Jess Blair about the threat of the worldwide rise of the far right.

Ms Blair asked the Plaid leader if the election of US President Donald Trump with the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, alongside him heralded a time of a global democratic crisis.

“Yes, it’s been a real shock and awe with the regime in the White House tearing up international agreements and alliances and scrapping the climate agreement,” Mr ap Iorwerth said.

The pair discussed the tech billionaires supporting the US president, their control of social media and its impact on democracy in Wales.

“Misinformation is now the norm, and it worries me how we as a smaller party get our messages out,” Mr ap Iorwerth said 

“Money talks and we cannot match the spending of the larger parties.”

The Senedd election in 2026 will be under a different electoral method with a closed list of candidates elected under a proportional system and an enlarged Senedd of 96 members.

“One party leading the country for 26 years is not normal in a democracy and the new system will be a game-changer because it doesn’t have an inbuilt advantage for Welsh Labour.

“It will make every vote count,” the Plaid leader said.

But Mr ap Iorwerth said the new closed list electoral system was not one his party would have chosen and, if elected to government, he pledged that Plaid would review it.