Rhun ap Iorwerth sworn in as First Minister
Mark Mansfield
Rhun ap Iorwerth has formally become First Minister of Wales following a swearing-in ceremony in Cardiff after Plaid Cymru’s historic victory in last week’s Senedd election.
The Plaid Cymru leader was confirmed as First Minister following a vote in the Senedd earlier on Tuesday, marking the first time a non-Labour politician has led the Welsh Government since devolution began in 1999.
Mr ap Iorwerth was formally sworn in during a ceremony overseen by the Hon Mrs Justice Mary Stacey DBE in front of family members and invited guests.
He also becomes the first First Minister to represent a north Wales constituency, having been elected last week to represent Bangor Conwy Môn.
In an address to the Senedd following the vote, Mr ap Iorwerth described the moment as “the greatest privilege” of his life and pledged to deliver the change voters had demanded at last week’s election.
He said: “It is the greatest privilege of my life to be elected First Minister in a nation that means so much to me.
“I’m eager to repay the trust that the people in Wales have placed in us and to achieve the change that people have stated so clearly they wish to see.”
The new First Minister said the election result had sparked “a new confidence” in Wales.
“Something has stirred in the soul of Wales. A new confidence, a new hope. A new broader horizon, never to be narrowed again>
“From this historic moment onwards every person in every part of our nation can know that the government of Wales is their government.
“My promise to everyone is that I will lead without prejudice or presumption. I will never take this privilege for granted.”
Plaid Cymru emerged as the largest party in last week’s Senedd election, winning 43 seats in the expanded 96-member chamber.
The result ended Labour’s 27-year hold on power in Cardiff Bay and followed a dramatic collapse in support for Welsh Labour, which was reduced to just nine seats.
Mr ap Iorwerth is now expected to begin discussions with other parties over how his minority administration will operate in the new Senedd.
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Today was a momentous day. To see a Plaid Cymru–led Welsh Government, with Rhun ap Iorwerth as First Minister, is uplifting. No longer shall Wales’s voice be silenced; we will be heard. I did find it ironic, though, to hear Reform’s office junior, Dan Thomas, argue that there is now a majority Unionist bloc in the Senedd and that he would hold Plaid to account—forgetting that only a year or so ago he was a Conservative councillor in Barnet, London, representing a party that decimated those same neglected communities. Hypocrite! What those fickle Unionists forget is that Wales’s historical poverty… Read more »