Published 03/20/2024 16:06
Labour's Vaughan Gething was elected as the Prime Minister of Wales by the local parliament on Wednesday (20), becoming the first black person to lead a constituent country of the United Kingdom.
Gething was born in Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother. Now three out of four UK governments are headed by non-whites, a major step towards normalizing diversity in the country.
UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is of Indian origin, while Scottish Independence Prime Minister Hamza Yusuf's parents immigrated from Pakistan.
Also, Northern Ireland is led by Michelle O'Neill, a woman who supports the unification of the island.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan, who is seeking a third term, is the son of Pakistani immigrants.
Gething, a 50-year-old lawyer who was previously Welsh economy minister, succeeds Mark Drakeford, 69, who announced his resignation in December after five years in the post.
Wales “becomes the first nation in Europe to be governed by a black man,” Gething said after his election.
“It's a proud moment for modern Wales, but it's a big responsibility for me and one I don't take lightly,” he added.
He said he expected the new prime minister to receive “insults on social media” and face “people questioning his motivations” or even his nationality.
But he said he was proud to lead a nation “full of hope, ambition and unity”.
In Wales, local government has autonomy over many matters such as health, education and transport.
Vaughan Gething was elected as the new leader of the Labor Party for Wales on Saturday in an internal party vote, winning 51.7% of the vote against Local Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
