Nelli Bird
BBC Wales reporter at a count in Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd

One of the youngest at today’s count in Builth Wells is four-month-old baby Wyn.

He is here with his mum Phoebe Jenkins, a Lib Dem candidate, who is feeling positive in the Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd constituency.

"I want to make a change and I want to make a difference, and I want to show to women and to mums that you can still do things even if you’ve got small children - you can still campaign and you can door knock and you can turn up at the count with a four-month-old strapped to your front," she said.

Wyn has so far slept through most of the experience but Phoebe isn’t worried about the long day ahead.

“He’s my third baby - he’s much more chilled than my other two," she added.

"He’ll sleep and then he’ll chill. And I’ll just go and feed him in the corner - I’ll add it to places I have breastfed my baby - at a political count."

Jordan Davies
BBC Wales reporter at a count in Sir Fynwy Torfaen

Candidates and supporters are beginning to arrive at Chepstow Leisure Centre, with rosettes pinned to their chest - flashes and shades of red, green, blue and yellow.

The atmosphere is buoyant, positive, expectant in an area that covers the local authorities of Monmouthshire and Torfaen.

Reform has plenty of support in the leisure centre coffee shop - there are plenty of hugs and smiles.

Sir Fynwy Torfaen has a mixed political history, with Torfaen a traditional Labour heartland and Monmouthshire a Tory stronghold.

This could be one of the first constituencies to declare, it will be fascinating to see how the results pan out.

Image source, PA Media

The predicted poor performance for Welsh Labour is the “one moment in Welsh politics that is absolutely key to Westminster politics”, says Guto Harri, a political commentator and former adviser to Boris Johnson.

“This has been a one party state,” he says.

“The first ever Labour MP ever - a man called Keir Hardie - was an MP in Wales.

"Ramsay MacDonald, the first Labour prime minister ever, was an MP briefly in Wales.

"Then you've got Michael Foot, Neil Kinnock, you've got Jim Callaghan, who was prime minister, who had represented this city that we're in today [Cardiff].

“It's huge and they've run Wales since devolution. So this is massive for Wales, big change of direction."

He believes a Labour defeat would spell the end for Starmer.

However, he added: "If this doesn't take him out, he will lead Labour to the next election because he cannot survive this without surviving right through.

"So this is the moment whether Labour MPs in Westminster want to take it or not. There won't be a bigger moment than this.”

Amid the nerves and bold predictions from some party sources, the pace of things is set to pick up over the next few hours.

The 16 constituencies are expected to declare results from about 13:00 BST onwards.

Since this is the first time the new system and new constituencies are in effect, the declaration times listed below could easily shift, but here are some rough estimates:

Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni: 13:00

Casnewydd Islwyn: 13:00-16:00

Ceredigion Penfro: 14:00-15:00

Gŵyr Abertawe: Aiming for 14:00

Sir Gaerfyrddin: 14:00-15:00

Clwyd: Early afternoon, possibly by 14:00

Brycheiniog Tawe Nedd: 15:00

Caerdydd Ffynnon: 15:00 at the earliest

Caerdydd Penarth: 15:00 at the earliest

Pen-y-bont Bro Morgannwg: 15:00 at the latest

Afan Ogwr Rhondda: 15:30-16:30

Gwynedd Maldwyn: 15:00-17:00

Pontypridd Cynon Merthyr: Late afternoon

Fflint Wrecsam: 18:00

Bangor Conwy Môn: Unsure

Sir Fynwy Torfaen: Unsure

Cemlyn Davies
BBC Wales reporter at the count in Ceredigion Penfro

Image source, Getty Images

I'm in Llandysul where the Ceredigion Penfro results will be announced later.

Only votes from the Ceredigion part of this constituency will be counted here, with voters in Ceredigion representing a third of the total electorate.

The Pembrokeshire votes are being counted in Haverfordwest, so party officials at both counts will be in constant contact as they try to get a clear picture of what's likely to happen.

The big question here - will the first minister be re-elected?

She has already acknowledged publicly that her seat is on a "knife-edge".

No sign of her yet, though a number of the other candidates are here.

Image source, Reuters

This election has been a “battle for Wales’ soul”, says Delyth Jewell, the deputy leader of Plaid Cymru.

Jewell says it’s clear that Welsh voters are looking for change and Plaid’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth is the figure who could unify Wales, fight Westminster when needed, and represent hope for communities.

Jewell adds that there will be a “temptation” to see what is happening in Wales through the prism of either English politics or Westminster dynamics, but insists there is “a distinct Welsh story emerging here”.

“Thousands of people will have put their faith in Plaid Cymru, not just as an idea of a vote against the parties, but a vote in favour of something better for this wonderful nation of Wales,” she says.

“And really, that Welsh voice has spoken. I think today we will find that, I feel hopeful, that we will find that we have spoken with a distinct accent.”

The results countdown is on and presenters Dot Davies and James Williams are in the studio ready to go live on BBC Radio Wales.

The duo will be live from 11:00 following the vote count results as they come in.

James describes today's Senedd election as being like "Christmas Day" for him, while Dot is excited about the uncertainty.

"There is so much to look forward to... for us, we won't know who comes through the door [including winners]," says Dot, adding that they will be on air until "who knows when" in the evening.

If you're not listening in the car, you can follow along via our live stream here or on BBC Sounds.

Kate Morgan
BBC Wales correspondent at the count in Afan Ogwr Rhondda

Vote verification has begun in Afan Ogwr Rhondda - with MP Stephen Kinnock among those at the count.

This constituency - taking in parts of Ogmore, Pontypridd, Aberavon, Bridgend, Rhondda and Neath - brings together several Labour party strongholds.

For instance, Aberavon and Ogmore have elected Labour representatives since day one of devolution back in 1999.

The party also represented Rhondda for 18 of the 27 years since then – although Plaid has a foothold there too.

Reform will also fancy their chances here today.

Candidates from all parties have started to arrive including Huw Irranca Davies – who served as deputy first minister under Eluned Morgan.

Kinnock, MP for Aberafan Maesteg, is keeping a close eye on things.

David Deans
BBC Wales political reporter

As is normal during elections counts, parties will begin briefing us about how they think the situation is looking for them.

A Plaid Cymru source has told us: "From what we have so far, you may not be surprised but it's looking good."

They said it was "positive", adding: "People are coming over to us [and] Labour's collapsed.

"But still really early to tell."

Emilia Belli
BBC Wales reporter at the count in Casnewydd Islwyn

There are no bikes here at the National Velodrome in Newport this morning, but today’s race is no less competitive.

The votes for Casnewydd Islwyn were verified overnight and while counting didn't start until 10:00, a source at the count overnight says things are looking "very bad" for Labour in this area which has almost always backed the party at every level of government.

They are bracing for a scenario where Reform and Plaid Cymru both win three seats each, wiping Labour out.

"Best case" scenario, the source says, is former government minister Jayne Bryant holding on to one.

People campaigning for Labour on the ground here say they’ve been squeezed out by the narrative that it’s a race between Reform UK and Plaid Cymru.

Indeed, Casnewydd Iswlyn is a top target constituency for Reform UK, and the party's Blackwood-born leader in Wales Dan Thomas is standing here.

If the party does as well as it's hoping, there are rumours Nigel Farage might make an appearance later too.

Jennifer Jones
BBC Wales Today presenter at the count in Bangor Conwy Môn

Election staff have arrived in their dozens at Venue Cymru in Llandudno to count the ballots for the Bangor Conwy Mon constituency.

Ballot boxes are stacked high in the main arena of the vast conference centre ready.

There are 43 candidates in the most north-westerly of the 16 new Senedd seats.

Among them are the leader of Plaid Cymru, Rhun ap Iorwerth and the deputy leader of Reform UK in Wales, Helen Jenner.

Conservative candidate, Janet Finch Saunders, who has been the Senedd Member for the former seat of Aberconwy since 2011 will be hoping to hold on to her seat in the Welsh Parliament.

We're expecting major change to the political landscape in Wales today.

But there have also been big reforms in the way the Senedd members are elected this time.

Here's a brief overview:

• The number of politicians elected to Cardiff Bay is increasing from 60 to 96
• The old 40 constituencies and five regions have disappeared and Wales has been divided into 16 large constituencies
• The first-past-the-post constituency voting system has been scrapped
• Members are elected via a proportional system with the number of politicians elected from each party based on the proportion of votes each party gets
• Six people will be elected from each constituency in total

Plaid's Dafydd Trystan has paid tribute to his rivals in Caerdydd Ffynnon Taf ahead of the results later on today.

Speaking on Dros Frecwast, he said Labour's candidates deserve credit for "knocking on the doors", and making this one of the "most interesting" Welsh elections in history.

He also used the opportunity to call for a future government that will "improve the lives of the people of Wales".

"I believe that if Plaid Cymru leads a government, that would benefit Welsh politics throughout," he added.

David Deans
Wales political reporter

A Labour source has told me that the party's vote has "completely collapsed" in Blaenau Gwent Caerfilli Rhymni.

It is one of the three seats that made a turnout calculation from their ballots overnight - 47.7% in the constituency have voted.

The source said there was still a chance Labour could get a seat in the constituency, and thought it might be tight between Reform and Plaid, with Reform doing better at the Blaenau Gwent end, and Plaid performing better in Caerphilly.

Meleri Williams
BBC Wales reporter at the count in Sir Gaerfyrddin

It’s getting busy at the Sir Gaerfyrddin count in Llanelli.

Candidates have started to gather in the sports hall of Pentre Awel Leisure Centre, wearing their party rosettes, and eagerly waiting for the votes to be verified within the next few minutes.

We could get a real mixed bag here.

This new super constituency encompasses the whole of Carmarthenshire, stretching between towns like Llanelli, Carmarthen, Llandovery and Ammanford, and vast rural areas.

Carmarthen is considered a Plaid Cymru heartland, so this constituency is crucial for the party.

But now that Llanelli is included in the same constituency, it may not be such an easy target for Plaid.

Labour has dominated in that area for decades, but in the 2024 General Election, Reform saw its best result across Wales in Llanelli.

With a new, more proportional voting system, Reform will be looking to challenge the Plaid and Labour dominance in the area.

The result declaration could be one of the last of all the constituencies.

Snacks and coffee are at the ready!

Image source, Getty Images

Constituencies have started publishing details of voter turnout, with some areas showing an increase.

Things are slightly different this year, with the 16 areas where people are voting newly-created for this election.

For example, there was a turnout of 47.7% in Blaenau Gwent Caerffili Rhymni.

In 2021, 44.31% of the electorate voted in Caerffili and 40.31% in Blaenau Gwent.

In Casnewydd Islwyn there was a 47.8% turnout.

In the last election, it was 42.2% in the old Islwyn constituency and 43% in Newport West.

The Greens have never won a seat in Cardiff Bay before and success would be getting their first, according to a candidate.

“We’re very encouraged by the polling, and seeing the vote share that we’re getting across England [in local elections there] just really demonstrates that," Ian Chandler told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

"As Zack Polanski said when he took over as leader, we’re here to replace Labour and it looks like that’s what we’re doing in many parts of the country."

Asked if one Senedd seat would be disappointing, the Sir Fynwy Torfaen candidate added: "If you had given us that six months ago we would have bitten your hand off."

In the 27 year history of devolution in Wales, those that have served as first minister, or prif weinidog, make a relatively small and elite group of Labour politicians.

At the dawn of politics in Cardiff Bay, Alun Michael was the first person to take on the role of Wales' leader in May 1999 – but didn’t last a year, resigning in February 2000.

There then followed two men who would steer Wales for nine years each – Rhodri Morgan from 2000 to 2009, then Carwyn Jones between 2009 and 2018.

Mark Drakeford was in charge from 2018 to 2024, before Vaughan Gething took on the role in March of that year.

But his time wasn’t long, and by August of that year Eluned Morgan was in charge.

We will soon know the identity of Wales’ first minister for the next four years – will Morgan extend her tenure, or will the nation get its seventh first minister?

Image source, Getty Images

“I think we’re going to do exceptionally well, the feedback on the doorstep has been extremely positive," a Reform UK candidate told BBC Radio Wales Breakfast.

“I think it is evident that Labour will collapse in Wales today. I think it is almost a referendum not only on Eluned Morgan but also on Keir Starmer.”

Francesca O’Brien, Reform UK's lead candidate for Gŵyr Abertawe, added it's a “very exciting” day and she is “very hopeful” that her party will emerge with the majority of votes.

Image source, PA Media/Ben Birchall

Labour has put itself in a position where it is "no longer seen as the party of the working people", believes Carwyn Jones.

Speaking on BBC Radio 5 Live's overnight election coverage, the former first minister said: "We need to be far more radical, we need to be far more confident in the message that we're getting across.

"We've put ourselves in a position where we're no longer seen as the party of the working people."

Jones, who was Labour first minister from 2009 to 2018, added: "It's quite clear that a chunk of working class voters are not with us at the moment."

Asked on BBC Radio Wales Breakfast early on Friday whether he backed calls for Sir Keir Starmer to stand down, he said: "I would caution people against thinking that simply changing a leader in London is the panacea, is the be-all and end-all.

"I don't think it's simply a question of 'if Keir Starmer goes everything willl be fine'. It's not that easy."

He added, however, that the message had to be more optimistic in Westminster and that a sense of direction was missing at the moment.