The future prime minister of Wales, Vaughan Gething, said that he was honored to become the first black leader in Europe after today's election as the head of the Welsh Labor Party, in power for 25 years in Cardiff.
Getting (50), now economy minister and former lawyer, next week will succeed outgoing Prime Minister Mark Drakeford (69), who announced his resignation in December after five years in office.
The future prime minister of Wales, born in Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, said he was "honoured to become the first black leader of a European country", referring to a new "page" in Welsh history.
Labor Party leader Keir Starmer, the heavy favorite in the January 2025 UK general election, sent his congratulations to Mr Geating.
"His appointment as First Minister of Wales and the UK's first black leader will be a historic moment, demonstrating the progress and values of modern Wales," Starmer said.
In Wales, local authority is responsible for many issues such as health, education and transport.
Getting was elected as the new leader of Welsh Labor in a party vote. He won with 51,7 percent of the votes of Welsh Education Minister Jeremy Miles.
Only members of the Welsh Labor Party or certain associated trade unions could participate in the vote, that is, about 100.000 people out of a total population of almost three million inhabitants.
Gething's campaign, however, was tarnished by the publication of a BBC investigation, which revealed that he had recently received a £200.000 (€234.000) donation from Atlantic Recycling, which has been prosecuted for environmental offences.
In 2016, Getting asked the government's environment agency to ease restrictions on the company. Getting has denied any connection and added that the donations were in accordance with the rules of the Senate, the Welsh parliament.
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