His name is Vaughan Gething and he has just been elected head of government for Wales.
At the head of Welsh Labor, in power for 25 years in Cardiff, the current Minister for the Economy, born fifty years ago in Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, said he was
“honored to become the first black leader of a European country
.
On Wednesday, this former lawyer will succeed the outgoing head of government, Mark Drakeford, 69, who announced his resignation in December after five years in office.
Keir Starmer, the head of British Labor and big favorite in the legislative elections expected by January 2025 in the United Kingdom, sent him his
“huge congratulations”
on X (formerly Twitter).
“His appointment as Prime Minister of Wales and first black British leader will be a historic moment, which shows the progress and values of a modern Wales
,” said Keir Starmer.
In Wales, local government has jurisdiction over many issues such as health, education and transport.
Vaughan Gething was chosen as the new leader of Welsh Labor in an internal party vote, which he won with 51.7% of the vote against Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
Only members of the Welsh Labor Party or certain affiliated unions were able to take part in the vote, i.e. almost 100,000 people out of a total population of almost three million inhabitants.
Vaughan Gething's campaign, however, was tarnished by the publication of a BBC investigation, which revealed that he recently obtained 200,000 pounds (234,000 euros) in donations from the company Atlantic Recycling, prosecuted for environmental offenses.
In 2016, he asked the government environment agency to ease restrictions on the company.
Vaughan Gething denied any link and assured that the donations complied with the rules of the Senedd, the Welsh assembly.