Wales' Vaughan Gething Becomes Europe's First Black Government Leader

Vaughan Gething was elected as the first minister of the government of Wales, thus becoming the first black leader of a government in Europe.

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Photo credit should read: Ben Birchall/PA Wire

The new leader of the Welsh Labor Party, Vaughan Gething, was elected on Wednesday as the first minister of the self-governing government of Wales. He became the first black person to become the head of government of a constituent country of the United Kingdom and the first leader of black government in Europe. Vaughan Gething was born in the African country of Zambia to a Welsh father and a Zambian mother.

Three of UK’s heads of government are minorities

So far, three of the UK’s four heads of government are minorities – the central government’s prime minister, Rishi Sunak, who was born in England, has parents of Indian origin. The head of the Scottish government, Humza Yousaf, also comes from Pakistani parents, although he was born in Scotland.

Also, the fourth constituent country of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, is led by a woman, Michelle O’Neill, who favors the unification of Ireland.

Until now Wales’ economy minister, Gething, a 50-year-old former barrister, succeeds Mark Drakeford, 69, who announced his resignation in December after five years in office. Wales “becomes the first country in Europe to be led by a black person,” Vaughan Gething said after his election. “This is a pride for modern Wales, but also a great responsibility for me, which I do not take lightly,” he added.

Gething is the new Welsh Labor party leader

Gething said he expected to receive “insults on social media”, to face “people who will question his motivation” and even his nationality. But he said he was proud to lead a Wales “full of hope, ambition and unity”. In Wales, local government has powers over many issues, including health, education and transport.

Vaughan Gething was elected on Saturday as the new leader of Welsh Labor in an internal party poll, which he won with 51.7% of the vote over the local education minister, Jeremy Miles.