Rhun ap Iorwerth voted in as First Minister of Wales
The Plaid Cymru leader will be officially sworn in later this evening
Last updated 12th May 2026
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, has been named the next First Minister of Wales.
Mr ap Iorwerth won the most votes from Members of the Senedd (MSs) on Tuesday, making him the first politician not from Labour to do so in the 27-year history of the Welsh Parliament.
He succeeds Baroness Eluned Morgan, who lost her seat in the Senedd election last week and subsequently resigned as Welsh Labour leader after a devastating set of results for the party.
Mr ap Iorwerth has said he will seek to form a minority government after his party secured the largest bloc in the election, falling short of a majority with 43 Members of the Senedd (MSs).
His nomination for appointment as first minister was supported by the two Wales Green Party MSs, while Liberal Democrat MS Jane Dodds and Welsh Labour MSs abstained.
Before he is officially confirmed as first minister, the Senedd’s presiding officer will write to the King recommending he is officially appointed.