Senedd to be recalled to appoint new First Minister

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The Senedd will be recalled from its summer recess to formally appoint Wales’ next First Minister on Tuesday August 6.

On Wednesday July 24, Eluned Morgan officially became leader of Welsh Labour, succeeding Vaughan Gething. But she is not yet First Minister.

A new First Minister has to be officially chosen by a vote in the Senedd, which has 60 members, 30 of which are Labour.

Nomination

It is not uncommon for opposition parties to put their own leader up for the top job. When this happens, every MS will have to vote by roll call, with a nominee needing a simple majority to assume the role of First Minister.

The Llywydd will recommend the Welsh Parliament’s nominee to the King and the First Minister-elect will address the Senedd.

The First Minister will be appointed by Royal Warrant, a legal document authorised by the King, before being sworn in at the Welsh Government’s Cathays Park headquarters.

Mark Drakeford was the only nominee after the 2021 election but when he was first appointed in 2018, Plaid Cymru and the Tories put forward their leaders as a symbolic gesture, as was the case again in March when Vaughan Gething became First Minister.

However, after the 2016 election, the vote for First Minister between Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood was tied until the deadlock was broken a week later.

The current parliamentary arithmetic means a tied vote is a possibility but it remains unlikely as it would require agreement between the Tories, Plaid Cymru and Lib Dems.

Recall

The Senedd can be recalled during recess, on the authority of the Llywydd, to discuss issues of national significance. In its 25-year history, the Senedd has been recalled previously to discuss the response to the Covid-19 Pandemic, Brexit and the future of the steel industry. This is the first time it will meet in recess to nominate a new First Minister.