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Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood tied in battle to become Welsh first minister Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood tied in battle to become Welsh first minister
(about 1 hour later)
The Labour party in the Welsh assembly has failed to get Carwyn Jones re-elected as first minister of Wales, after Plaid Cymru, the Tories and Ukip united against him.The Labour party in the Welsh assembly has failed to get Carwyn Jones re-elected as first minister of Wales, after Plaid Cymru, the Tories and Ukip united against him.
The leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood, was level with Jones with 29 votes each after receiving the support of other parties who won seats from Labour in the recent local elections, including the Conservatives and Ukip.The leader of Plaid Cymru, Leanne Wood, was level with Jones with 29 votes each after receiving the support of other parties who won seats from Labour in the recent local elections, including the Conservatives and Ukip.
Had Kirsty Williams, the sole Liberal Democrat in the assembly, voted with the other opposition parties, Wood would have become the first minister despite Labour being by far the largest party. “I was not re-elected to support a ragtag coalition,” she said. The tied vote throws the process into confusion. The current meeting of the assembly has been adjourned until further notice, while the parties go into talks in an attempt to break the stalemate.
The tied vote throws the process into confusion. Further talks between the parties are now likely to take place, and the current meeting of the assembly has been adjourned. Had Kirsty Williams, the sole Liberal Democrat in the assembly, voted with the other opposition parties, Wood would have become the first minister despite Labour being by far the largest party. “I was not re-elected to support a ragtag coalition,” said Williams.
More details soon ... A source at the Welsh assembly said the parliament’s Standing Orders rule book was being consulted to determine what the protocol was in such circumstances, but it did not go into much detail. A tied vote for first minister is unprecedented in the history of the Welsh government, which was established in 1999 following the passage of the Government of Wales Act 1998.
The Government of Wales Act 2006 prescribes that a first minister must be elected within 28 days of polling day or another election must be called, giving parties until 1 June to end the deadlock.
Sources in the Welsh assembly said the parliament was likely to be recalled in the next couple of weeks to start the process of taking nominations for first minister again, but that this was unlikely to happen until the situation had changed. “They’re not going to do it if they think a vote will get the same result,” said one.
In last Thursday’s Welsh assembly elections Labour lost its overall majority in the parliament, losing one seat, leaving it with 29. Plaid Cymru gained one seat, leaving it with 12 and beating the Conservatives to become the official opposition. The Conservatives have 11 seats in the assembly, while Ukip has seven and the Liberal Democrats have one.
A spokesperson for Plaid Cymru said: “On 5 May, Wales chose not to elect one single party to govern Wales with a majority. As is the convention, the biggest party were given an opportunity to reach an agreement on forming a government which could lead Wales with the support of the majority of members in the national assembly. They took the decision not to pursue that option, and were not prepared to give the process of negotiation any further time.
“As a result, the Plaid Cymru group followed normal parliamentary protocol and nominated Leanne Wood for first minister. Carwyn Jones was informed of this decision yesterday. Since that time, and as far as Plaid Cymru is aware, there have been no formal discussions, agreements or deals pursued between any party.
“This afternoon, the assembly failed to reach agreement on who should become first minister and form the next government. It is now for the parties to discuss this matter further in order to seek the best outcome for Wales.”
Commenting on the vote for first minister, Williams, the Lib Dem, said: “I was not re-elected into the national assembly to support a ragtag coalition made up of Ukip assembly members who at the moment can’t even agree with each other. That is not my politics and not something I will even contemplate. I am disappointed that Plaid seem to think that is a viable option.
“The reality that we have to face is that Labour have 29 assembly members. It is therefore clear that they have the strongest mandate from the people of Wales.”
Carwyn Jones has been first minister of Wales since 2009 and a member of the Welsh assembly for Bridgend since 1999.