London, March 26, (IRNA) The Welsh nationalist party, Plaid Cymru is confident of regaining support at May's devolved elections that will include Wales getting its first Muslim assembly member.

Plaid strategists believe the party will win three extra constituency seats and at least one extra list seat, in South East Wales, that would see Mohammad Ashgar elected after a narrow failure in 2003, the Western Mail reported Monday.

Asghar, who is an accountant born in Pashawar, north-west Pakistan, also unsuccessfully stood in the last elections to the British parliament in 2005.

The Cardiff-based assembly was established eight years ago, but no Muslim representatives were elected in the first polls in 1999 and 2003.

Last year, the Welsh Nationalists said they were seeking to win votes at the elections on May 4 from anti-war opponents of Prime Minister Tony Blair's ruling Labour Party.

The Cardiff-based daily said the party was now confident of repeating its performance in 1999 by winning 17 seats in the 60- member assembly by regaining five seats lost in 2001.

The Welsh nationalist party, which also has three MPs elected to the 646-seat House of Commons in London, is hoping to break Labour's monopoly on power in the devolved assembly.