Rhun ap Iorwerth has been elected first minister of Wales after Plaid Cymru's victory in last week's Senedd election ended 100 years of Labour rule. The confirmation came during a plenary vote on Tuesday, with support from all 43 Plaid Cymru members and the two Green Party MSs, while Welsh Labour and the sole Liberal Democrat abstained.
In his first speech, ap Iorwerth criticised Westminster, saying: 'Something has stirred in the soul of Wales – a new confidence, a new hope, a new broader horizon, never to be narrowed again by the naysayers with other priorities in other places.' He promised to lead 'without prejudice or presumption' and paid tribute to his predecessor, Labour's Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the election.
Plaid Cymru won the most seats in the newly expanded 96-seat Senedd, ending Labour's century-long dominance. Reform UK came second with 34 seats, Labour third with nine, the Conservatives seven, the Liberal Democrats one, and the Greens two. Reform's Dan Thomas, now leader of the opposition, warned that the chamber has a 'pro-union majority' and vowed to ensure the union prevails.
Ap Iorwerth, who is pro-independence, has ruled out a referendum in the current Senedd term but said his government will make the case for an independent Wales. He plans to seek cooperation from other parties on a case-by-case basis and will press the UK government for more powers over policing and justice, rather than engaging in political rows.
The 53-year-old former BBC journalist from Anglesey will be sworn in on Tuesday afternoon and is expected to appoint cabinet secretaries on Wednesday.
