The announcement of Vaughan Gething as the victor of the Welsh Labor leadership election, on March 16, 2024, marks a momentous day in Welsh history as the country prepares to name its first black leader.
Gething will follow Mark Drakeford, 69, who announced in December that he decided to step down from his elected post.
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When he takes on the role of first minister for Wales next week, the 50-year-old claimed he will have “the honor of becoming the first black leader in any European country.”
He noted to the labor party members in Cardiff, “Today, we turn a page in the book of our nation’s history. A history we write together.”
The devolved administration in Cardiff is led by Labor, and on Wednesday, Gething is scheduled to take the oath of office.
UK Labor leader Keir Starmer remarked in a statement “His appointment as first minister of Wales, the first black leader in the UK, will be an historic moment that speaks to the progress and values of modern-day Wales.”
Gething was born in Zambia to a Welsh-born white father and a black Zambian mother.
The heads of three of the four administrations in the United Kingdom will not be white once he assumes office.
The parents of Scotland’s first minister, Humza Yousaf, who supports independence, moved from Pakistan, whereas UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is of Indian heritage.
