Welsh Labour in the context of "Fourth Morgan government"

Plaid Cymru (English: /plaɪd ˈkʌmri/ plyde KUM-ree, Welsh: [plaid ˈkəmrɨ]; lit. 'Party of Wales', officially Plaid Cymru – the Party of Wales, and often referred to simply as Plaid) is a centre-left, Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom. It campaigns on a platform of social democracy and civic nationalism. The party is a supporter of the European Union and is a member of the European Free Alliance (EFA). The party holds 4 of 32 Welsh seats in the UK House of Commons, 14 of 60 seats in the Senedd, and 200 of 1,234 principal local authority councillors. Plaid was formed in 1925 under the name Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru ('the national party of Wales') and Gwynfor Evans won the first Westminster seat for the party at the 1966 Carmarthen by-election.

In 1999 (in the first devolved Welsh Assembly election), Plaid Cymru gained considerable ground in traditionally Labour heartlands. These breakthroughs were part of the intentional aim to win more seats in the Welsh valleys and North East Wales, which continues to be an ambition today. The party have mostly been in opposition in the Senedd. Although under the leadership of Ieuan Wyn Jones, the party was part of a coalition as a junior partner with Welsh Labour (See: One Wales, Morgan and Jones governments) between 2007 and 2011. Wyn Jones became the deputy First Minister and Minister for the Economy and Transport, other Plaid Cymru Assembly members were also part of the cabinets.

A member of the Senedd (MS; plural: MSs; Welsh: aelod o'r Senedd; AS, plural: ASau), also known as a member of the Welsh Parliament, is a representative elected to the Senedd (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Senedd Cymru). There are sixty members, with forty members chosen to represent individual Senedd constituencies, and twenty to represent the five electoral regions of the Senedd in Wales.

Each person in Wales is represented by five MSs: one for their local constituency (encompassing their local area where they reside), and another four covering their electoral region (a large grouping of constituencies). Wales's five electoral regions are Mid and West Wales, North Wales, South Wales Central, South Wales East and South Wales West.

The 2003 National Assembly for Wales election was the second general election to the National Assembly for Wales. It was held on 1 May 2003. The election was characterised by a resurgence for the Labour Party, whilst Plaid Cymru saw a reduction in support and the number of Assembly Members they returned. Having won thirty seats, one short of a majority, Labour chose to govern in minority without a coalition partner.

This election also saw the return of John Marek as an independent member of the Assembly. Of the 60 members elected, 30 were male and 30 were female.

The 1966 Carmarthen by-election, was held in Carmarthen, Wales, on 14 July 1966. The contest was significant in that it resulted in the election of Gwynfor Evans, the first ever Plaid Cymru member of parliament. Plaid Cymru's victory in the Carmarthen constituency, a seminal moment for Welsh nationalism, was part of a wider process toward Welsh devolution which eventually led to the establishment of the Welsh Assembly in 1999.

The election was caused by the death of Labour Party member of parliament Megan Lloyd George.

The 1999 National Assembly for Wales election was held on Thursday 6 May 1999 to elect 60 members to the Senedd, at the time called the National Assembly for Wales (Welsh Parliament; Welsh: Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru). It was the first devolved general election held in Wales after the successful 1997 Welsh devolution referendum. The election was held alongside the Scottish Parliament election (also the first of its kind) and English local elections.

Although Welsh Labour were the biggest party, they did not gain enough seats to form a majority government and instead entered into coalition with the Liberal Democrats. The election was marked by the historically high level of support for Plaid Cymru, who won their highest share of the vote in any Wales-wide election and remains their highest number of seats in a Senedd election to date. The party won considerable support in traditionally safe Labour areas such as the South Wales Valleys, winning Rhondda and Islwyn and narrowly failing to win a number of other seats.

One Wales (Welsh: Cymru'n Un [ˈkəmrɨn ˈɨn]) was the coalition agreement for the National Assembly for Wales between Labour and Plaid Cymru agreed to by Rhodri Morgan, First Minister of Wales and leader of Welsh Labour, and Ieuan Wyn Jones, leader of Plaid Cymru, on 27 June 2007. It was negotiated in the wake of the preceding National Assembly election which resulted in a large Labour plurality, but no majority. Labour and Plaid Cymru approved the document in separate votes on 6 and 7 July, respectively.

The first Jones government (10 December 2009 – 11 May 2011) was a continuation of the previous Labour–Plaid Cymru coalition government in Wales.

Following Rhodri Morgan's decision to retire, a leadership contest was held for the position of Welsh Labour Leader. The election was won by Carwyn Jones who was confirmed leader of Welsh Labour on 1 December 2009 and as First Minister on 9 December 2009 by the Welsh Assembly. Jones was officially sworn in the next day.

The deputy first minister of Wales (Welsh: dirprwy brif weinidog Cymru) is the deputy leader of the Welsh Government. The post was created in October 2000 when Mike German of the Welsh Liberal Democrats was appointed Deputy First Minister as part of a coalition government with Welsh Labour. Since the office was created, the holder has traditionally been the party leader of the junior partner in coalition with Welsh Labour, though this changed in 2024 with the appointment of Labour's Huw Irranca-Davies in the Labour government of Eluned Morgan.

The last holder was Ieuan Wyn Jones of Plaid Cymru who was also the minister for the Economy and Transport. Ieuan Wyn Jones served in the office as part of the One Wales agreement between Plaid Cymru and Welsh Labour between 2007 and 2011.