Rhun ap Iorwerth voted First Minister of Wales by Senedd Members
Emily Price
Plaid Cymru’s leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has been voted First Minister of Wales by Members of the Senedd.
It comes after his party won the most seats in a historic Welsh Parliament election last week.
Mr ap Iorwerth won the most votes from MSs on Tuesday, making him the first politician not from Labour to do so in the 27-year history of the Welsh Parliament.
He succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the Senedd election last week and subsequently resigned as Welsh Labour leader after a devastating set of results for the party.
Mr ap Iorwerth has said he will seek to form a minority government after his party secured the largest bloc in the election, falling short of a majority with 43 MSs.
His nomination for appointment as first minister was supported by the two Wales Green Party MSs, while Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds and Welsh Labour MSs abstained.
Reform UK and the Welsh Conservatives put their own party leaders forward to take up the First Minister role in symbolic nominations.
Before Mr ap Iorwerth is officially confirmed as first minister, the Senedd’s presiding officer will write to the King recommending he is officially appointed.
Born in south Wales the 53-year-old grew up on Anglesey and was educated at Ysgol David Hughes and later Cardiff University, where he graduated in politics and Welsh.
A former BBC journalist and married father-of-three, he made the move into politics and became a Member of the Senedd in 2013 after winning a by-election in Ynys Mon.
He took over leadership of his party unopposed in 2023 after a stint as deputy.
He stepped into the role during a troubled period for the party after his predecessor, Adam Price, resigned in the wake of a report finding there was a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny in Plaid Cymru.
Mr ap Iorwerth is in favour of Welsh independence and previously said his party would use time in government to make the case for an independent Wales.
However, he ruled out a referendum in the first term of a Plaid Cymru government.
Leader of the Welsh Conservatives, Darren Millar, warned Plaid Cymru that the party’s honeymoon period would be short.
He said: “While I congratulate Rhun ap Iorwerth on becoming the next First Minister of Wales, Plaid Cymru will now need to demonstrate that they are not going to deliver more of the same for Wales by simply swapping places with Labour as the senior partner in the duopoly that has been running Wales in recent years.
“Regrettably, the backroom deal between Plaid and Labour to appoint Labour’s former Deputy First Minister to the important role of Speaker of the Senedd suggests that we are simply going to get four more years of the same.
“The Welsh Conservatives will be a constructive opposition, holding Wales’ new government to account, and opposing any attempt to continue the same tired politics that has held our country back for far too long.”
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Llongyfarchiadau Rhun ap Iorwerth. Prif Weinidog Gymru. 👏🏴
Llongyfarchiadau Rhun! First actions by Toryform a warning of the shambles they are and will be for the years ahead.
Bendigedig!
The Labour abstentions are beyond petty but I fear they show that the minority government will be politically paralysed from the start.
Yes, having said they wouldn’t be bitter and churlish, their first action was to be ….bitter and churlish.
The abstentions make total sense for both parties in this case. Labour can claim they didn’t endorse him but also didn’t make trouble for Plaid.
Meanwhile Plaid can claim they weren’t propped up by Labour votes in getting Rhun the position.
Disgusting behavior from Labour as expected. More of this childlike behavior will ensure they’re kept well away from. Cymru.
As an older man, who was born and raised in Wales, I can’t begin to fully describe the overwhelming emotions of relief, excitement, happiness and hope. I’ve now witnessed at long last the seeds of a future full of pride, opportunity, enthusiasm and identity. I thank Rhun and Plaid for making my dream come true.
This still feels like more of a relief than anything. We have a Civic Nationalist as our Prif Weinidog, rather than an Ethnic Nationalist, which is great. However, what did Labour ask for other than getting the position of llywydd?