1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election

Last updated

1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election
 1945
1984  
  Dafydd Wigley (cropped, 3x4).jpg Dafydd Elis-Thomas 2011 (cropped, 3x4).jpg
Candidate Dafydd Wigley Dafydd Elis Thomas
First round273212
Percentage56.28%43.71%

President (Leader) before election

Gwynfor Evans

Elected President (Leader)

Dafydd Wigley

The 1981 Plaid Cymru presidential election [n 1] was held following the resignation of Gwynfor Evans, who had led the party since 1945. The election followed both the defeat at the 1979 general election of Evans in Carmarthen and the defeat earlier that year of the Yes side in 1979 devolution referendum.

The contest was between Caernarfon MP Dafydd Wigley and Meirionnydd Nant Conwy MP Dafydd Elis Thomas, both of whom had entered the House of Commons in February 1974.

The contest was won by Dafydd Wigley, [1] who went on to serve until 1984. [2]

Notes

  1. The Party leader was referred to as the president until March 2000 when the separate role of Leader was created

Related Research Articles

Plaid Cymru is a centre-left and Welsh nationalist political party in Wales, committed to Welsh independence from the United Kingdom.

Elfyn Llwyd is a Welsh barrister and politician. He was a Member of Parliament, representing Meirionnydd Nant Conwy in the House of Commons from 1992 to 2010 and Dwyfor Meirionnydd from 2010 to 2015. Llwyd was Plaid Cymru's Westminster parliamentary group leader.

Adam Price Welsh politician and Plaid Cymru leader

Adam Robert Price is a Welsh politician serving as the Leader of Plaid Cymru since 2018. Since 2016 he has sat in the Senedd for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, having previously been a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Carmarthen East and Dinefwr constituency.

Dafydd Wigley Welsh politician

Dafydd Wynne Wigley, Baron Wigley, is a Welsh politician. He served as Plaid Cymru Member of Parliament (MP) for Caernarfon from 1974 until 2001 and as Assembly Member for Caernarfon from 1999 until 2003. He was the leader of Plaid Cymru from 1981 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 2000. On 19 November 2010 it was announced that he had been granted a life peerage by the Queen, and he took his seat in the House of Lords as Baron Wigley, of Caernarfon on 24 January 2011.

Dafydd Iwan

Dafydd Iwan Jones is a Welsh singer and nationalist politician who rose to fame writing and performing folk music in the Welsh language. From 2003 to 2010, Iwan was the president of Plaid Cymru, a political party which advocates for Welsh independence from the UK.

Gwynfor Evans Welsh politician (1912–2005)

Gwynfor Richard Evans was a Welsh politician, lawyer and author. He was President of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru for thirty-six years and was the first Member of Parliament to represent it at Westminster, which he did twice, from 1966 to 1970, and again from 1974 to 1979.

Elystan Morgan British politician

Dafydd Elystan Elystan-Morgan, Baron Elystan-Morgan, known as Elystan Morgan, was a Welsh politician. He sat as a crossbencher in the House of Lords from 1981 to 2020, and served as a Labour MP from 1966 to 1974.

Robert Lambart Harvey is a British Conservative Party politician, journalist and well known historian and author.

Goronwy Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts

Goronwy Owen Goronwy-Roberts, Baron Goronwy-Roberts, FRSA PC, was a Welsh Labour Member of Parliament.

Leanne Wood Former Leader of Plaid Cymru

Leanne Wood is a Welsh politician who served as the leader of Plaid Cymru from March 2012 to September 2018, and served as a Member of the Senedd (MS) from 2003 to 2021.

Owen John Thomas

Owen John Thomas is a former Plaid Cymru politician who represented the South Wales Central region in the National Assembly for Wales from 1999 to 2007.

History of Plaid Cymru Political party in the United Kingdom

Plaid Cymru; The Party of Wales originated in 1925 after a meeting held at that year's National Eisteddfod in Pwllheli, Caernarfonshire. Representatives from two Welsh nationalist groups founded the previous year, Byddin Ymreolwyr Cymru and Y Mudiad Cymreig, agreed to meet and discuss the need for a "Welsh party". The party was founded as Plaid Genedlaethol Cymru, the National Party of Wales, and attracted members from the left, right and centre of the political spectrum, including both monarchists and republicans. Its principal aims include the promotion of the Welsh language and the political independence of the Welsh nation.

The Montgomeryshire by-election, 1962 was a parliamentary by-election held on 15 May 1962 for the British House of Commons constituency of Montgomeryshire.

The University of Wales by-election, 1943 was a parliamentary by-election held in the United Kingdom between 25 and 29 January 1943 for the House of Commons constituency of University of Wales.

Llyr Gruffydd

Llŷr Huws Gruffydd, is a Welsh Plaid Cymru politician, serving as a Member of the Senedd (MS) for the North Wales region since 2011.

The fifth election to the Carmarthenshire County Council was held on 1 May 2012. It was preceded by the 2008 election and was followed by the 2017 election. Plaid Cymru won 28 seats whilst Labour and the Independents won 23 each. The main feature of the election was a Labour recovery in the Llanelli area, and to some extent in the Gwendraeth and Ammanford area also, mainly at the expense of Independent candidates. Plaid Cymru lost ground to Labour in the Llanelli area but gained seats elsewhere, becoming the largest party. An Independent-Labour coalition was again formed, but with Labour as the leading partner. As a result, Kevin Madge replaced Meryl Gravell as the leader of the council.

2000 Plaid Cymru leadership election Plaid Cymru leadership election

The 2000 Plaid Cymru leadership election was held following the resignation on health grounds of Dafydd Wigley.

2018 Plaid Cymru leadership election Plaid Cymru leadership election

The 2018 election for the leader of the Welsh political party Plaid Cymru began on 7 August. Voting closed at midnight on 27 September. Adam Price was declared the winner on 28 September, defeating the two other candidates.

The 1984 Plaid Cymru presidential election was held following the resignation of Dafydd Wigley, who had led the party since 1981, on the grounds of his caring commitments linked to his children's health conditions.

1991 Plaid Cymru presidential election Plaid Cymru leadership election

The 1991 Plaid Cymru presidential election was held following the resignation of Dafydd Elis Thomas, who had led the party since 1984 after his announcement that he would stand down as an MP at the 1992 general election.

References

  1. "Left foiled in Plaid Cymru Election". The Guardian (Page 2). 2 November 1981. Retrieved 3 July 2020.
  2. "Lecture to commemorate the 75th anniversary of Plaid Cymru - The Party of Wales (Page 12)" (PDF). Hanes Plaid Cymru (Plaid Cymru History). Dr John Davies. 3 July 2020. Retrieved 1 June 2020.