POWYS heads to the polls along with the rest of Europe this morning, Thursday, May 23, to decide who will represent them in the next European Parliament – for the time being at least.

It has been an election campaign which has generated little enthusiasm among candidates or voters with the UK seemingly set for Brexit.

Due to EU voting rules which state that no results are to be announced while other countries are voting, the result will not be announced until Sunday, May 26, or early on Monday, May 27.

In Powys, the local count is conducted at the Royal Welsh Showground in Llanelwedd before results are passed to the returning officers for Wales in Haverfordwest. The results are expected to be announced by Pembrokeshire County Council at around midnight on Sunday.

Eight parties are putting candidates forward for the election, with Matthew Dorrance, Labour leader on Powys County Council, and Brecon councillor Sam Bennett on the ballot paper for Labour and the Lib Dems respectively.

As a European region, Wales has four seats in the European Parliament.

The parties and their candidates are as follows:

Change UK - The Independent Group

  • Jonathan Owen Jones
  • June Caris Davies
  • Matthew Graham Paul
  • Sally Anne Stephenson

Conservative and Unionist Party; Ceidwadwyr Cymreig / Welsh Conservatives

  • Daniel Stephen Boucher
  • Craig James Robert Lawton
  • Fay Alicia Jones
  • Tomos Dafydd Davies

Green Party / Plaid Werdd

  • Anthony David Slaughter
  • Ian Roy Chandler
  • Ceri John Davies
  • Duncan Rees

Labour Party / Llafur; Welsh Labour /Llafur Cymru

  • Jacqueline Margarete Jones
  • Matthew James Dorrance
  • Mary Felicity Wimbury
  • Mark Jeffrey Denley Whitcutt

Liberal Democrats / Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol; Welsh Liberal Democrats / Democratiaid Rhyddfrydol Cymru

  • Sam Bennett
  • Donna Louise Lalek
  • Alistair Ronald Cameron
  • Andrew John Parkhurst

Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales

  • Jill Evans
  • Carmen Ria Smith
  • Patrick Robert Anthony
  • Ioan Rhys Bellin

The Brexit Party

  • Nathan Lee Gill
  • James Freeman Wells
  • Gethin James
  • Julie Anne Price

UK Independence Party (UKIP)

  • Kristian Philip Hicks
  • Keith Callum Edwards
  • Thomas George Harrison
  • Robert Michael

Results will appear on www.countytimes.co.uk as soon as they are announced on either Sunday, May 26 or Monday, May 27.