Welsh Labour Party leadership election, 2009

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1 December 2009


Candidate	Carwyn Jones	Edwina Hart	Huw Lewis
Overall Result	52.0%	29.2%	18.8%
Affiliated Unions	51.3%	33.9%	14.8%
Party members	53.7%	25.3%	21.0%
MPs, AMs & MEPs	50.9%	28.3%	20.8%

Leader before election

Elected Leader

The 2009 Welsh Labour Party leadership election was held following the resignation of Rhodri Morgan, who stepped down after nine years as First Minister of Wales. Morgan had made clear his intent to resign in 2009 as far back as 2005. As Morgan had been elected unopposed in 2000, this was the first contested election for the Welsh Labour leadership for more than a decade.

The contest concluded on 1 December 2009 and was won on the first round by Carwyn Jones who would be confirmed as First Minister the following week. The contest was won by Carwyn Jones, who won in all three sections of the ballot.. As Welsh Labour was the senior partner in a Labour/Plaid Cymru coalition government, Jones assumed office as First Minister on 10 December 2009. Both Edwina Hart and Huw Lewis served in Jones' governments until their retirement in 2016.

Under Jones, Labour would go on to take office alone as a minority government following the 2011 Assembly election, and retain office following the 2016 Assembly election.

The election was conducted under an Electoral College system in which Labour Party members, affiliated trade union members and Welsh Labour elected officials all held an equal share of the votes.

To stand, candidates needed the support of a minimum of six (out of a possible 24) including themselves of Labour's Assembly Members.

Three candidates - Counsel General Carwyn Jones, Health Minister Edwina Hart and Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney AM Huw Lewis - entered the race.

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