LONDON, May 8 (Xinhua) -- Plaid Cymru won 43 seats in the expanded 96-member Senedd, or Welsh Parliament, in Friday's election, ending more than a century of Labour dominance in Welsh politics.
Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth told supporters that his party would "take the necessary steps to form the next Government of Wales." He said he planned to "reach out to others" who support his agenda and confirmed that he would put himself forward to be nominated as the next first minister.
Reform UK came second with 34 seats, while Welsh Labour dropped to third place with nine.
"It is a resounding mandate for Plaid and at the upper end of its best-case expectations. Governing won't be easy, but the 43 seats gives it a status and legitimacy that assists," Laura McAllister, a public policy expert at Cardiff University in the Welsh capital, told Xinhua.
Louis Bromfield, a researcher at Swansea University, said a Plaid Cymru first minister would be "a lot quicker to call out Westminster Labour" and push for "more devolved powers," "more devolved authority" and "fairer funding" for Wales.
Last October, Plaid Cymru won the Caerphilly by-election in Wales, ending Labour's long-standing dominance in the constituency and signaling a notable shift in the region's political landscape.
Welsh First Minister Eluned Morgan said Friday she would resign as leader of Welsh Labour after losing her seat in the Senedd election. British media described the defeat as the first time a serving head of government in Britain had lost her own parliamentary seat while in office.
Morgan made the announcement after failing to win re-election in the newly created Ceredigion Penfro constituency. The result marked a major personal and political setback for Labour, which failed to secure any of the six seats in the constituency, according to local media.
Welsh Labour has led Wales' devolved government since 1999, when the National Assembly for Wales was established. A defeat on this scale would represent one of the party's most serious setbacks in Wales since devolution began 27 years ago.
The election was the first held under Wales' new electoral system. The Senedd has expanded from 60 to 96 members, with voters electing party lists in 16 constituencies, each returning six members under a proportional representation system.
The outcome is also seen as a blow to British Prime Minister Keir Starmer's Labour Party, which has faced growing voter dissatisfaction over the cost of living, public services and the economy. ■