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| Leadership issue as Lib Dems meet | Leadership issue as Lib Dems meet |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Welsh Liberal Democrats are gathering for their autumn conference with a question mark continuing to hang over their leadership in the Welsh assembly. | Welsh Liberal Democrats are gathering for their autumn conference with a question mark continuing to hang over their leadership in the Welsh assembly. |
| Mike German, who heads the party's six-strong assembly group, will reveal on Sunday whether he wants to carry on doing the job he has held since 1999. | Mike German, who heads the party's six-strong assembly group, will reveal on Sunday whether he wants to carry on doing the job he has held since 1999. |
| He said he wanted to inform delegates in Aberystwyth of his decision first. | He said he wanted to inform delegates in Aberystwyth of his decision first. |
| He has been under pressure since a poor result in May's election and assembly government coalition talks failed. | He has been under pressure since a poor result in May's election and assembly government coalition talks failed. |
| Mr German has declined to confirm in advance what his decision will be. | Mr German has declined to confirm in advance what his decision will be. |
| There's a considerable political space for the Welsh Liberal Democrats Mike German AM | There's a considerable political space for the Welsh Liberal Democrats Mike German AM |
| Earlier in the week he said he was 99% certain what that would be - although by Friday he said his certainty had increased to 100%. | Earlier in the week he said he was 99% certain what that would be - although by Friday he said his certainty had increased to 100%. |
| Lib Dem party rules state that a leadership election must be held within a year of an assembly election. | Lib Dem party rules state that a leadership election must be held within a year of an assembly election. |
| Mr German told BBC Radio Wales that he hoped members would be happy with what they heard from him. | Mr German told BBC Radio Wales that he hoped members would be happy with what they heard from him. |
| 'Confident liberalism' | 'Confident liberalism' |
| But he added: "The most important task that we have facing us is occupying the political vacuum which has been left by the movement to the left of both Plaid and the Labour Party and there's a considerable political space for the Welsh Liberal Democrats. | But he added: "The most important task that we have facing us is occupying the political vacuum which has been left by the movement to the left of both Plaid and the Labour Party and there's a considerable political space for the Welsh Liberal Democrats. |
| "There is a great opportunity for us because there are a great number of Plaid supporters who are unhappy with the direction their party has taken. | "There is a great opportunity for us because there are a great number of Plaid supporters who are unhappy with the direction their party has taken. |
| "They've ditched a huge number of their key programme policies." | "They've ditched a huge number of their key programme policies." |
| "So now we are the only party which wants to replace council tax with a fair tax based on your ability to pay, which says there will be no nuclear power in Wales. | "So now we are the only party which wants to replace council tax with a fair tax based on your ability to pay, which says there will be no nuclear power in Wales. |
| "And if you really want to pursue the green agenda and make a difference to climate change then a vote for us is the only one which will work." | "And if you really want to pursue the green agenda and make a difference to climate change then a vote for us is the only one which will work." |
| Mr German said by the end of the weekend not only his personal direction would be clear, but so would the "political space this party is going to occupy". | Mr German said by the end of the weekend not only his personal direction would be clear, but so would the "political space this party is going to occupy". |
| Meanwhile, Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, who leads the Lib Dems as a whole in Wales, is expected to tell the party to adopt a "confident liberalism" as they prepare for next May's local council elections. | Meanwhile, Montgomeryshire MP Lembit Opik, who leads the Lib Dems as a whole in Wales, is expected to tell the party to adopt a "confident liberalism" as they prepare for next May's local council elections. |
| A motion was passed calling for live webcasts of local council meetings to be available across Wales. | |
| The Lib Dems in Rhondda Cynon Taf said the service was already offered in Devon. | |
| Pontypridd councillor Mike Powell said: "I believe that the decision-making process can only improve if more people got the opportunity to get involved and be witness to council meetings." |