Vaughan Gething becomes the first black prime minister in the history of Wales and Europe (social networking sites)

Vaughan Gething announced that he is "honored" to become the first black leader in Europe after his election on Saturday to head the Labor Party in Wales - which has been in power for 25 years in Cardiff - and thus Gething becomes the next head of the semi-independent Welsh government.

Gething (50 years old), the current Minister of Economy and a former lawyer, will succeed on Wednesday outgoing Prime Minister Mark Drakeford (69 years old), who announced his resignation last December after 5 years in office.

The Labor Party said in a statement that Drakeford will resign from the position of Prime Minister in Wales on March 19, and the Welsh Parliament is scheduled to officially elect Gething as Prime Minister on March 20.

Vaughan Gething, who was born in Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, said in a speech after the result was announced, “Today, we turn a page in the book of our nation’s history... not only because I have the honor of becoming the first black leader in any European country, but also because the new generation has changed dramatically.” .

With this new victory, the “Britain in Arabic” account on the Wales Vaughan Gething is of African-Zambian descent on his mother's side.

Children of immigrants and ethnic minorities hold top positions in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧

• The Prime Minister of Britain is of Indian origin


• The Prime Minister of Scotland is of Pakistani origin


• The Prime Minister of Wales is African-Zambian on his mother’s side https://t.co/nvCh3srP0u pic.twitter.com/dbpxfyUiuc

- Britain in Arabic🇬🇧 (@TheUKAr) March 16, 2024

congratulations

Gething received congratulations from Keir Starmer, leader of the British Labor Party, who opinion polls indicate is likely to win power in the general elections scheduled for January 2025 in the United Kingdom.

Starmer expressed his "sincere congratulations" to Gething on X.

He said: "His appointment as Welsh Prime Minister and the first black British leader will be a historic moment that demonstrates the progress and values ​​​​that modern Wales enjoys."

“On behalf of the entire UK Labor Party, we look forward to collaborating with Vaughan in this new chapter for Wales to form Labor governments across Britain,” Starmer said in a statement.

British Conservative Prime Minister Rishi Sunak also congratulated Gething on the win, saying on social media that he looked forward to working with him in a constructive spirit.

In Wales, the local government is responsible for many issues such as health, education and transportation in the country with a population of 3 million people.

Vaughan Gething was chosen as the new leader of the Labor Party in Wales during an internal party vote, in which he won 51.7% of the vote against Education Minister Jeremy Miles.

A BBC investigation affected Gething's campaign, as it revealed that he had recently received 200,000 pounds (234,000 euros) in donations from Atlantic Recycling, a company being prosecuted for environmental violations.

In 2016, Gething asked the government's environment agency to ease restrictions on the company.

Gething denied any connection to this file, stressing that the donations were in line with the rules of the National Assembly in Wales.

Source: Al Jazeera + agencies + websites