In only a few days time, Wales is due to have a new First Minister.
Following Vaughan Gething’s decision to resign as leader of Welsh Labour and First Minister of Wales, only one candidate was put forward to become the next leader of Welsh Labour – Eluned Morgan MS.
As a result, the Senedd is now being recalled on 6 August to nominate a new First Minister.
This article looks at how a new First Minister is nominated and what some of the consequences of that vote could be.
How is a new First Minister nominated?
Once Vaughan Gething MS formally resigns, the Senedd will be required to nominate a new First Minister.
The nomination takes place at a meeting of the Senedd where the Llywydd invites nominations from Members. Any Member of the Senedd can nominate another to be First Minister.
If only one Member is put forward as a candidate, the Llywydd must declare that person the nominee for First Minister.
If more than one Member is put forward, the Llywydd will conduct a roll call of all Members (except for the Llywydd and Dirprwy Lywydd) in alphabetical order.
If there are two candidates put forward, the one that receives the most votes will become the nominee. If there is a tie, another vote must take place, but this doesn’t have to happen immediately. This happened once before in May 2016 when Carwyn Jones and Leanne Wood were tied on 29 votes each.
If more than two candidates are put forward and no one receives more votes than the total number cast for all the other candidates, the candidate with the fewest votes is excluded. Further votes are then taken until one candidate obtains more votes than the total number cast for other candidates.
Once a nomination is made by the Senedd, the Llywydd will recommend to the King that they are appointed as First Minister of Wales.
Once this appointment is made, the new First Minister will begin forming their new Cabinet.
What happens if no one is nominated?
When a First Minister resigns, it starts a 28-day countdown for a successor to be appointed.
This deadline could become important if the Senedd fails to nominate a Member to become First Minister. For example, this could occur if the vote is a tie with no means to break the deadlock. As things stand, Welsh Labour hold exactly half of the seats in the Senedd, meaning a tie could be possible if all other Members supported a different candidate.
If the Senedd doesn’t nominate a First Minister within 28 days, the Senedd will be dissolved and an election will take place.
Could that impact on changes to the Senedd?
Significant changes are due to be made to the size of the Senedd and how its Members are elected for the next scheduled election in 2026.
If there is an election because a First Minister is not nominated, it would take place using the existing electoral system and would elect 60 Members of the Senedd.
However, the Senedd General Election in 2026 would still take place and all the expected changes would still come into force at that time.
Can a Member of the House of Lords become First Minister?
Following her election as leader of Welsh Labour, Eluned Morgan MS is expected to be nominated by her party group to become First Minister.
Eluned Morgan (Baroness Morgan of Ely) has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2011 but this would not stop her from becoming First Minister.
Members of the House of Lords have been disqualified from being Members of the Senedd since 2021, and therefore First Minister, unless they take a leave of absence from the Lords. Members who take a leave of absence are not expected to attend meetings of the House of Lords.
Eluned Morgan has been on a leave of absence since 12 May 2021. She told the BBC that she hopes to “pause” her relationship with the House of Lords when asked if she would give up her peerage.
How can I follow the nomination?
Following a request from the current First Minister Vaughan Gething MS, the Llywydd agreed for the Senedd to be recalled on 6 August to enable the Senedd to nominate a new First Minister.
The Senedd will meet at 11am and you can watch proceedings on Senedd.tv.
Article by Josh Hayman, Senedd Research, Welsh Parliament
