Three weeks on from the resignation of Adam Price as Plaid Cymru leader and there is still uncertainty over who is going to replace him.
Mr Price resigned on May 10 after a report into a toxic culture in the party was revealed. The inquiry into the parties culture was initially ordered after WalesOnline published a special investigation into concerns among Plaid staff and MSs into how allegations of sexual assault and harassment were being dealt with.
Llyr Gruffydd has taken over as interim leader until a permanent leader can be appointed. In an interview with WalesOnline he indicated that his main priority was introducing the more than 80 recommendations outlined in the report which was carried out by former Plaid MS Nerys Evans.
Read more: 'We got it wrong' - Plaid Cymru's interim leader speaks out after a terrible few weeks for the party
When will a new leader be elected?
Nominations are due to close on June 16. After that, if there is more than one candidate there will be a leadership contest with the leader ultimately being selected by a members vote.
Who is likely to run?
As of yet, only Rhun ap Iorwerth has officially put themselves forward as a potential leader. However there are two who have ruled themselves out.
Llywydd (speaker) of the Senedd and MS for Ceredigion Elin Jones officially ruled herself out of the contest. A senior figure in the party and a Senedd Member since 1999 she could have been well positioned for a run at leader.
However in a post on Facebook she said: “My mother will be so pleased to see this post! I won’t be putting my name forward to be Plaid Cymru Leader. Who would I like it to be? In all honesty, I’d like to see unity behind one candidate thus avoiding a divisive, distracting leadership election so we can carry on with the job for our constituents and our country. There’s a lot of work to do. Minority of 1 view probably!"
MS for South Wales Central Heledd Fychan has also ruled herself out after telling BBC Wales: “There’s a great deal of work to do in the region that I represent…so the time’s not right for me to put my name forward”.
So who could it be?
The most likely candidate, and only current person who has declared their intent to run at this point is Anglesey MS Rhun ap Iorwerth. He announced his canadcaiy on Twitter saying that "in recent weeks we in Plaid Cymru have found ourselves at a cross roads" and that he is "serious about the task ahead".
He paid tribute to Adam Price's leadership and said that he "sees ideas and talent" across all levels of the party. He then added that "my country means so much to me."
He rounded off by saying that he "remain as committed as ever to Ynys Mon" while also giving an indication of the need to start winning seats in the South Wales Valleys by pointing out that he was born there.
Mr ap Iorwerth previously finished second in the leadership election where Adam Price was elected and has been seen by some as a natural successor to Mr Price. However the key stumbling block was that he had indicated that he will be running as the MP for Anglesey next at the next General Election (which could be within the next year). This presents a problem because under Plaid’s own rules the leader of the party has to be a member of the Senedd. If he does win, someone else will need to be chosen for this key battleground seat.
These rules have precluded to other prominent Plaid politicians who could potentially have thrown their names into the hat - MPs Ben Lake and Liz Saville Roberts. Westminster leader Liz would likely have been able to garner significant support within the party if the rules had allowed her to run.
Other potential candidates include:
Delyth Jewell, MS for South Wales East - she became an MS in 2019 after the death of Steffan Lewis. She is the shadow minister for climate change, energy and transport and has been touted by some as a way of introducing fresh ideas and new blood into the upper echelons of the party. Her seat in South East Wales is exactly the sort of area that Plaid need to be winning if they are ever going to expand the party outside of their traditional heartlands.
Siân Gwenllian, joint deputy leader since 2018 and MS for Arfon - as deputy leader, Ms Gwenllian can argue she has the experience to take on the role of leader. She is also well known (or as well known as any Plaid MS is). However her proximity to the outgoing leadership could bring into question whether she is the best placed person to implement Nery Evans’ report though she is an experienced campaigner.
Mabon ap Gwynfor, MS for Dwyfor Meirionnydd - he only became an MS in 2021 but is the current shadow minister for agriculture, rural affairs, housing and planning. The grandson of Plaid Cymru's first Member of Parliament and former president, Gwynfor Evans, he has been touted as a future leader. Some might argue that the opportunity has come too soon for him but perhaps he could be the fresh ideas the party desperately needs.
There are five other potential candidates - Cefin Campbell, Luke Fletcher, Peredur Owen Griffiths and Sioned Williams. Luke Fletcher is a young up-and-coming MS who has demonstrated an ability to win in areas where Plaid is not traditionally strong. Leaked messages show that he was also one of the MSs who was actively trying to tackle the party's toxic culture before it was made public. Multiple Plaid sources have told WalesOnline they would like to Sioned Williams run.
The remaining MSs are former leader Adam Price and interim leader Llyr Gruffydd. Mr Price will not be running for obvious reasons and one of the preconditions for Mr Gruffydd being unanimously being elected temporary leader was the condition that he doesn’t run to be permanently in the role and instead focuses on the implementation of the recommendations around the party’s culture.
Given that we are under three weeks from the deadline for nominations for the new leader being submitted, it begs the question of why only one person put their head above the parapet yet? Part of the reason for this may lay in the statement that Elin Jones gave when ruling herself out of the running. “I’d like to see unity behind one candidate thus avoiding a divisive, distracting leadership election,” she said. A leadership contest would likely create division in the party that above anything needs to come together and heal. If a candidate could gain the full support of Plaid Senedd Members it would likely be beneficial and well worth no one rushing to publicly put their hat in the ring.
If not, the leadership contest is likely to run throughout the summer.
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