Eluned Morgan took the oath of office as the first female leader of Wales on Tuesday, following her election by members of the devolved parliament to succeed Vaughan Gething, who held the position for a mere four months.
Morgan, 57, was nominated by the party to be the first minister of Wales after taking over as Welsh Labour leader last month.
After being brought back from recess, members of the Senedd, the 60-member assembly for Wales, confirmed the nominee.
After being elected in March and becoming the first African American head of state in a European nation, Gething resigned last month amid a flurry of controversy.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer, leader of the UK Labour party, called Morgan’s election as head in Wales “fantastic news” and said she brought “a wealth of experience and a track record of delivery” to the job.
Morgan was a “unity candidate” when she ran for office in 1994 and spent 15 years as a member of the European Union parliament before joining the Senedd in 2016.
In recent months, Welsh Labour has been divided over Gething’s acceptance of an o200,000 ($255,500) gift from a man convicted of environmental offences and a leaked phone message that resulted in the expulsion of a minister.
He retracted that decision, declared he would fight on, and lost a no-confidence vote.Morgan received the backing of every other prospective candidate anticipated to compete for the party leadership position.
With limited devolved powers, the Cardiff-based Welsh government sets policy in domains like transportation, the environment, health, and education.
