Welsh Chief Minister Resigns Over Donation Scandal
Vaughan Gething, 2024. Photo: X/ @WalesOnline
July 16, 2024 Hour: 8:35 am
Four members of his cabinet also resigned after calling for his resignation in protest of his leadership.
On Tuesday, Welsh First Minister Vaughan Gething, a member of the Labour Party, announced his resignation after just four months in office, forced by the resignation of several cabinet members following a scandal involving a donation from a convicted businessman.
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“I have made the difficult decision to begin the process of resigning as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and as First Minister. Having been elected leader of my party in March, I had hoped that over the summer there could be a period of reflection, rebuilding, and renewal under my leadership,” Gething stated.
“I now recognize that this is not possible,” added the politician, who lost a confidence vote over his administration in the Welsh Assembly last June.
Four members of his regional government – including the Economy Minister, Jeremy Miles – resigned today and also called for his resignation in protest of his leadership and to restore confidence in the regional government following the scandal.
“The events of the past few months, including the loss of the confidence vote in the Regional Assembly have been incredibly painful. It is essential that we begin to repair the damage immediately, and I have come to the conclusion, very regrettably, that this cannot happen under your leadership,” Miles said.
Gething had taken office in March following the resignation of his predecessor, Mark Drakeford, but shortly afterward, a scandal erupted over a donation of 234,000 euros received for his campaign from businessman David John Neal, who had a criminal record for illegally dumping waste in a conservation site.
After announcing his resignation, Gething told the media that this “has been the most difficult time for me and my family.” “The growing assertion that some kind of wrongdoing has occurred is pernicious, politically motivated, and patently false,” he added.
During his more than ten years in politics, he emphasized that he has “never” made a decision “for personal gain” and has “never abused his ministerial responsibilities.”
Gething had been elected as Drakeford’s successor in a close vote among party members, receiving 51.7 percent of the support compared to the 48.3 percent garnered by Miles, his rival for the leadership at the time.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said today that the Welsh politician decided to resign “because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales.” “I want to thank Vaughan for his service as leader of the Welsh Labour Party and as First Minister of Wales. Vaughan should feel immensely proud of being the first Black leader of any country in Europe,” he added.
“That achievement,” he emphasized, “will have expanded the ambitions and lifted the sights of a generation of young people in Wales and beyond. I know how difficult this decision has been for him, but I also know he made it because he feels it is the best decision now for Wales. I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”
Autor: teleSUR/ JF
Fuente: EFE
