London: Eluned Morgan was on Wednesday confirmed as the new Welsh Labour leader, putting her in line to become the first woman minister of the devolved UK nation's government.
"I am truly honoured to become the first woman to lead Welsh Labour and to be put forward as our party's nominee to become the next first minister of Wales," she said.
Morgan, 57, a member of the UK House of Lords since 2011 but on a leave of absence from parliament's unelected upper chamber, is set to replace outgoing first minister Vaughan Gething.
Gething, who became the first black leader of a government in a European country when he was elected in March, announced he would step down earlier this month after a series of controversies.
Morgan, a former European Parliament member and the current health minister in his administration, was the only contender to be Welsh Labour's new leader when nominations closed on Wednesday.
UK Labour leader and Prime Minister Keir Starmer called her election "fantastic news" and said she brought "a wealth of experience and a track record of delivery" to the job.
Morgan still needs a vote in Wales's devolved assembly, the Senedd, to be confirmed as first minister.
The 60-member Senedd is currently on recess until September and would need to be recalled for her to take over sooner.
Wales-born Morgan, a Senedd member since 2016, served as an MEP for 15 years from 1994 and promoted herself as a "unity candidate".
Welsh Labour has been split in recent months after Gething faced criticism for accepting a 200,000 ($255,500) donation from a man convicted of environmental crimes and a leaked phone message that led to a minister's dismissal.
He eventually reversed his decision to fight on after a no-confidence vote.
All the other potential candidates who were expected to run in the party's leadership race threw their support behind Morgan.
The Welsh government, based in the capital Cardiff, has limited devolved powers to set policy in areas such as transport, environment, health and education.
