Rhun ap Iorwerth announced as new lead of Plaid Cymru
Mr ap Iorwerth, who represents Ynys Mon (Anglesey) in the Senedd, succeeds former leader Adam Price.
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Your support makes all the difference.Rhun ap Iorwerth has been officially announced as the new leader of Plaid Cymru.
Mr ap Iorwerth, who represents Ynys Mon (Anglesey) in the Senedd, was named as successor during a press conference in Cardiff on Friday.
It follows the resignation of Adam Price last month after a report found a culture of sexual harassment, bullying and misogyny and made 82 recommendations to “detoxify” the party.
Nominations for leader of the party closed on Friday morning, with Mr ap Iorwerth the only confirmed candidate.
Owen Roberts, Plaid Cymru’s chief executive officer, confirmed Mr ap Iorwerth as leader during the press conference at St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay.
Mr ap Iorwerth, a married father-of-three, is a former BBC journalist who was deputy leader of Plaid Cymru under Mr Price.
The fluent Welsh speaker announced his candidacy in a video on Twitter saying the party finds itself at a “crossroads” and faces “serious challenges” but that Wales was on a “journey to independence”.
He added: “Now is the time to unite Plaid Cymru so we can lead the work of building a new future for Wales.”
Born in South Wales, Mr ap Iorwerth grew up on Anglesey and was educated at Ysgol David Hughes and later Cardiff University, where he graduated in Politics and Welsh.
Mr Price’s predecessor, Leanne Wood, publicly said she believed the next leader should be a woman – claiming a female leader would be better placed to deal with issues of misogyny.
However, early in the race two of Mr ap Iorwerth’s potential competitors, Sioned Williams and Sian Gwenllian, announced they would not be standing.