Internal Elections 2023

Elections to the National Executive and Steering Committees

The following candidates have been nominated for election to the positions noted. The candidates which have supplied a short manifesto are linked below.

The election will be a hybrid one, where Plaid Cymru members will be able to register to vote by watching the hustings on Zoom and then vote online, or through a paper ballot by attending Conference.

Click here to jump to the Election Timetable at the bottom of the page.

Candidates

Marc Phillips

Treasurer

It is a challenging time for Plaid Cymru as we embark on reorganising our Accounting Units while preparing for a General Election, against a dire economic background which is hurting our supporters.

The role of Treasurer tries to unify our financial strategy with the demands to meet political objectives. The party cannot operate – legally or effectively – without control over our resources and strict compliance with regulatory standards.

Over recent years, with the help of our excellent staff, I have sought to ensure professional standards, and I am particularly pleased that we have started to establish a ring-fenced fund for fighting elections.

I have a combination of long-term political involvement and years of experience in senior management in public and charitable organisations. I am pleased to ask for your support so that I may continue to apply this experience in the role of National Treasurer.

[to the list of nominees]

Carole Willis

Director of Organisation, Training and Development

I have been Director of Organisation, Membership and Training for about 6 years and have worked closely with fellow National Executive Committee members and members of staff to try and improve and maintain the party’s organisation and membership strategy.

I currently chair the party’s Organisation Working Group which is overseeing the transition to new constituencies in preparation for the Westminster and Senedd general elections. I also chair the Staff Liaison Committee and am a member of the Personnel, Finance, ARAC and membership strategy committees.

If I am elected it would be a privilege to carry on with this work for another two years.

[to the list of nominees]

Cai Larsen

Director of Elections and Campaigns

I kindly ask for your vote in the Party's internal election to choose a Director of Elections.

I have fulfilled the role for a period of several years, and I believe I’ve done so effectively and conscientiously. I’ve played a full part in the activities of the National Executive Committee attending meetings and producing reports regularly.

I served on some of the NEC's sub-committees, including the Organization Committee, the Standards Committee, the Westminster Reform Committee, the Westminster Boundary Group and I chair the National Campaign Committee.

I’ve also played a leading role in producing several pieces of work – I outline three recent examples below:

1. A report on electoral under performance in a part of the country in the 2022 local elections.
2. A report assessing the advantages and disadvantages of working with the Green Party.
3. A piece of work on reforming the way the Register of Candidates is run and administered.

I also regularly prepare statistical analyses of elections on a local and national context to assist campaign teams to prepare for elections.

I believe that I played a positive role in the life of the Party nationally and that I’ve helped the Party rationalise its internal processes and its campaigning methods.

I would be extremely grateful for the opportunity to continue doing that as the Party prepares for the critical elections it faces over the next few years.

[to the list of nominees]

Carrie Harper

Director of Fundraising

Having first been elected as a Plaid Cymru County Councillor in Wrecsam in 2008, I'm committed to building our party across Wales and am particularly interested in growing our fundraising efforts across a range of initiatives. I'm therefore seeking re-election as Director of Fundraising in order to continue developing our fundraising strategy as we look towards the next Westminster and Senedd elections.

It's essential we are an effective campaigning machine and of course that costs money! We need to be proactive at all levels of the party to ensure success and to bring in the necessary resources.

If you have ideas, experience or expertise in this area I'd love to hear from you. My campaigning experience has taught me that one person never has a monopoly on good ideas and that a team effort is always the most effective way to secure success, so please feel free to get in touch.

Email - [email protected]
FB - CarrieWrecsam
Instagram - CarriePlaid
Twitter - @CarrieAHarper
TikTok - @carrieplaid
Phone - 07484 841 407

[to the list of nominees]

Jill Evans

Director of International Affairs

I have been Plaid Cymru’s representative on the European Free Alliance (EFA) for many years and am an EFA Vice President and Bureau member. I am an active member of the EFA Women’s Forum.

I was a Plaid Cymru Member of the European Parliament from 1999 until the UK left in 2000. For five years I was President of the EFA Group in the European Parliament and First Vice-President of the Greens/EFA Group. In 2021, I received the Coppieters award for my work on peace, minority rights, linguistic diversity and self-determination on a European level.

I have been Chair of CND Cymru for the past five years and am a founder board member of the Academi Heddwch.

I am asking for your support to continue to build our strong ties with EFA and strengthen Plaid Cymru’s voice on the international stage.

[to the list of nominees]

Chris Franks

Chair of Steering Committee

The Steering Committee plays an important part in the governance of the party. It has to operate in a manner that represents the views and interests of the whole membership. Steering Committee must ensure that all members have an opportunity to influence the policies and strategy of the party.

The Chair of Steering is also a member of the National Executive Committee. So the role includes ensuring that the party’s finances are sound and its administration is of a high standard.

The NEC also is responsible for implementing Prosiect Pawb is a fair and decent manner.

The NEC must fully support the Party’s leadership. As we begin the preparation for the Westminster elections we must be clearly focused on maximising our electoral opportunities.

Currently I am secretary of the Councillors Association.

I believe that I am able to fulfil the requirements of the job and respectfully invite your support.

[to the list of nominees]

Elin T Jones

Chair of Steering Committee

For the past 2 years I have been the chairperson of steering. During this time, we ran our first conference post Covid restriction and have restructured conference to allow for more conversation with membership. I have also tried to make things more interactive and engage with community outside of the venues. I have also implemented a quiet room for those who find conference over stimulating as I have a dedication to making conference as accessible as possible.

If re-elected to continue I want to investigate providing sign language help and to become hybrid. I have been chair of Ceredigion constituency for the past 3 years and resigned that recently to concentrate all my energy into steering. The past 2 years I have undertaken work within our NEC and want to continue this vital work.

Please vote for me to continue my work as steering committee chair. Thank you.

[to the list of nominees]

Election Timetable

[to the top]

Designated Officer:

Owen Roberts
Plaid Cymru Chief Executive

[email protected]