LONDON — A Zambian-born lawyer has become the first black head of government in Wales, the United Kingdom and across Europe.
Thursday will be Vaughan Gething's first full day as First Minister of Wales, having been elected the previous day by the Welsh Assembly in Cardiff and approved by King Charles III.
“Today, we turn the page in this nation's history book. It is a history we will write together,” the president said at his inauguration. “Not only do I have the honor of being the first black leader of a European country, but I also cross a generational divide.”
Mr Gething, 50, said he was the first Welsh leader to come of age after the transfer of power from the UK's central government in London to the central governments of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. That process began with his public vote in the late 1990s.
Wales has a population of approximately 3 million people and is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom, along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. They run regional services, including the health and education systems, while London is responsible for defence, foreign relations and other issues.
Gething was born in Zambia to a Zambian mother and a white Welsh father. He grew up in Dorset, England and then went to university in Wales.
Given his race and background, he told lawmakers Wednesday that his selection was both a “matter of pride” and a “daunting responsibility.” And he vowed to make Wales a place where people can “celebrate our differences and take pride in all that unites us”.
Mr Gething, a long-standing member of Britain's centre-left Labor Party, won the leadership race within the Welsh party last weekend after his predecessor Mark Drakeford resigned. Gething subsequently became Prime Minister as Labor held the most seats in the Welsh Parliament.
He previously served as Wales' Health Secretary for five years, including during the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Since 2021, he has served as the country's Minister of Economy.
Mr Gething's election means that three of the four countries in the UK – England, Wales and Scotland – now have non-white leaders. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is of Indian descent, while Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is of Pakistani descent.
Northern Ireland, the fourth, will be led by two women. This means that there are no white men at the top of politics in any of the four British countries.
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