WHEN is the vote? Could there be a coalition? What powers does the Assembly have? We answer these questions and more.

Q. When does voting take place? Elections for the Welsh Assembly will take place in May. Polling stations will be open from 7am to 10pm on May 5.

Q. Who can vote? Anyone living in Wales who is over the age of 18 and has registered to vote. People must register to vote before April 14.

Q. How many Assembly Members (AMs) are there? There are 60 in total - 40 represent an individual constituency, the remaining 20 are made up of four AMs from each of Wales's five regions - North Wales, Mid and West Wales, South Wales West, South Wales Central and South Wales East.

Q. How does the voting process work? People will vote twice in the Assembly elections - choosing a candidate to represent their constituency and then picking a party for their region.

Q. How does a candidate win a constituency seat? Quite simply, the candidate with the most votes wins.

Q. What is the regional seat system about? The hybrid electoral system in Wales aims to avoid the dominance of Welsh politics by any single party. People can, if they so wish, vote for two different parties.

The regional seat system was introduced to make sure all parties received fair representation in the final political make-up of the Assembly.

Q. How many seats are needed for a party to claim victory? The first-past-the-post system means anyone with a majority of votes, even by one, will win. So, 31 seats or above for one party will give them a definite majority.

However, Labour managed to go into government alone in 1999 and 2003 with a total of 28 and 30 seats respectively.

Q. What if a party does not win an overall majority? The party with the most votes could form a minority government or opt to enter a coalition agreement.

At the last election, Labour and Plaid joined forces forming the One Wales Government after they won 26 and 15 seats respectively. The deal between the pair took a month after the election to finalise.

Q. What is a "rainbow coalition”? It is a government made up of more than two parties or varying independent candidates. This can occur if the party with the most votes, but no absolute majority, is unable to broker a coalition deal with another group.

Q. Who is likely to do deals with each other? A Labour-Plaid coalition could be possible, given the two have been in government in Wales for the past four years.

Plaid have admitted to keeping their options open, but in March leader Ieuan Wyn Jones said he would find it "very difficult’’ to do any deals with the Conservatives or Liberal Democrats given the funding cuts imposed by the Westminster coalition.

The Tories and Lib Dems could also be likely to strike a deal given that they are both in government together in the House of Commons.

A Labour-Lib Dem government looks less likely, with a Labour-Tory coalition appearing the most unlikely scenario.

Q. Once a government is formed what happens next? A 14-member cabinet will then be formed - with the top two positions being First Minister and Deputy First Minister.

Q. Is this Assembly election more significant than any other? Many AMs would argue yes, because the Assembly's fourth term will see it be able to use its new legislative powers. Following the March 3 referendum, Wales is now able to make its own laws in 20 devolved areas without having to seek approval from Westminster.

Q. So what areas does the Assembly have direct law making powers for?

  • Agriculture, fisheries, forestry and rural development
  • Ancient monuments and historic buildings
  • Culture
  • Economic development
  • Education and training
  • Environment
  • Fire and rescue services and promotion of fire safety
  • Food
  • Health and health services
  • Highways and transport
  • Housing
  • Local government
  • Public administration
  • Social welfare
  • Sport and recreation
  • Tourism
  • Town and country planning
  • Water and flood defence
  • Welsh Assembly
  • Welsh language

Q. What about the areas that it cannot legislate in - such as criminal justice or tax? Following the referendum result, a number of leading AMs have said there needs to be a debate for Wales to gain more powers. Current Deputy First Minister Ieuan Wyn Jones, of Plaid, admitted he would like to see Wales have its own criminal justice system like Scotland.

Q. What else could be significant about the Assembly's fourth term? Given the Westminster Government's spending cuts policy - in order to reduce the UK budget deficit - Wales is likely to face further financial challenges. Also, there have been continuing calls to re-examine the way the UK Government gives money to the Welsh Assembly, via the Barnett Formula. Other outstanding matters include changes to the law on organ donations.