Vaughan Gething first black prime minister in Wales (and Europe)
The future First Minister of Wales, Vaughan Gething, is 'honoured' to become the first black citizen to hold this position in a European country. Gething was elected to lead the Welsh Labor Party, which has governed in Cardiff for a quarter of a century. Current Economy Minister, 50 years old, Vaughan Gething will succeed next Wednesday Mark Drakeford, 69, the outgoing head of the government who announced his resignation last December after five years in office.
Born in Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother, Vaughan Gething said he was “honored to become the first black prime minister of a European country” and evoked a new page in Wales' history. Keir Starmer, central figure of British Labor and strong favorite in the legislative elections scheduled for January 2025 in the United Kingdom, sent him a message in which he expressed “immense congratulations”. “His appointment as Prime Minister of Wales and Britain's first black leader will be a historic moment, showing the progress and values of a modern Wales,” Starmer said.
Vaughan Gething was chosen as leader of Welsh Labor by internal party ballot in which he obtained 51.7% of the votes, prevailing over the Minister of Education, Jeremy Miles. Gething's campaign was, however, troubled by the publication of a BBC investigation, which revealed a payment of 200 thousand pounds (234 thousand euros) received by the company Atlantic Recycling, which was previously the subject of sanctions for environmental violations.
In 2016 Vaughan Gething asked the government's environment agency to ease the sanctions imposed on the company. Gething denied any connection with Atlantic Recycling and assured that the donations received complied with the rules of the Senedd, the Welsh parliamentary assembly.
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