Gething was elected head of the semi-autonomous government by the Welsh Parliament in Cardiff, four days after winning internal elections for the ruling Labor Party. He received 27 votes out of 51 in the Legislative Council, where the Labor Party is the largest party.
The son of a Welsh father and a Zambian mother said Wales is “the first country in all of Europe to be led by a black person.”
“It is a source of pride for modern Wales, but it is a daunting responsibility for me, and I do not take it lightly,” he said in Parliament.
He said he wants to lead a country “able to celebrate our differences and be proud of all those things that unite us.”
Gething will be sworn in once his appointment has been ratified by King Charles III, a formality.
Three of the UK's four prime ministers are non-white. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak is of Indian origin and Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf is the daughter of Pakistanis.
The two Prime Ministers of Northern Ireland are Michelle O'Neill and Emma Little Pingelly, meaning that for the first time there are no white male Prime Ministers in the UK.
Wales, with a population of 3 million, is one of the four parts of the United Kingdom along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland. The government in London is responsible for defence, foreign affairs and other kingdom-wide affairs, while the governments in Cardiff, Edinburgh and Belfast control education, health and other departments.
Gething was Welsh Health Minister during the Covid-19 pandemic. As Chancellor of the Exchequer in 2021, he had to deal with the impact of Tata Steel's plan to close the two blast furnaces at its Port Talbot plant, cutting 2,800 jobs.
fountain: News agency
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