History was made in Llandysul on Friday when Plaid Cymru took three of Ceredigion Penfro’s six Senedd seats and a defeated Eluned Morgan announced her resignation as leader of Welsh Labour.

Forty-one candidates representing eight parties and three independents put themselves forward for the six seats available to represent the vast new Ceredigion Penfro constituency.

With votes cast on Thursday and verification not due to start until 9am on Friday morning, the candidates and the voters endured a long, anxious wait for the results.

Verification of the votes alone took just under three hours.

Ceredigion counters at Ysgol Bro Teifi in Llandysul completed the process first, with those at Haverfordwest High School taking around 45 minutes more.

Turnout for Ceredigion Penfro was 56.2 per cent, and the number of votes cast across the whole constituency was 89,402. Figures will not be released this year for votes cast specifically in Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire, but turnout was 47 per cent in 2021 for Ceredigion and it was 51.4 per cent in Pembrokeshire.

A total of 247 ballot papers were rejected. More than one vote was given on 102 papers, three contained writing or a mark by which the voter could be identified and 142 were unmarked or voided for uncertainty.

Another five hours of waiting followed the verification process as the votes for each party were counted and then, the moment everyone had been waiting for arrived when returning officer Eifion Evans called all the candidates to the floor to announce the results.

They were as follows:

Welsh Conservatives - 14,789

Gwlad - 802

Heritage - 442

Plaid Cymru - 31,943

Wales Green Party - 6,324

Reform UK - 23,003

Welsh Labour - 6,495

Welsh Liberal Democrats - 4,613

Aaron Carey Independent - 368

George Chadzy Independent - 286

Paul Haywood Dowson Independent – 88.

The results gave Plaid Cymru three seats for Ceredigion Penfro, Reform two and the Welsh Conservatives one.

The first Senedd seat went to Plaid Cymru’s Elin Jones, the second to Reform’s Susan Claire Archibald, the third to Plaid’s Kerry Ferguson, the fourth to Welsh Conservative Paul Davies, the fifth to Reform’s Paul Marr and the sixth to Plaid’s Anna Nicholl.

Elin Jones’ thank you speech included Welsh Labour candidate Eluned Morgan who lost her seat.

“Nothing can take away from Eluned that she was this country’s first ever female First Minister. Diolch Eluned,” Elin said.

Eluned also took to the stage where she gave an impassioned speech and announced her resignation.

She said Welsh Labour had “suffered a catastrophic result” ending a century of Labour winning in Wales, adding “the party will need to take a really hard look at itself and understand the depth of the challenge that we face”.

She added: “I’ve lost my seat in Ceredigion Penfro and I will be stepping down as leader of Welsh Labour. I take responsibility for the Labour result in Wales.

“I’d like to thank the members of this constituency in the Labour party and members across the whole of Wales in the Labour party for their tireless efforts over the past few months and years. This vote is not a reflection of your efforts.

“I’d like to thank the volunteers and all the extraordinary efforts of people up and down the country. Thank you for your trust and your kindness, and your honesty over several years.

“Thank you also to my fellow candidates who have worked extremely hard.

“I’m very proud of what Welsh Labour has achieved over all the years we have led in the Senedd, but today the pressures on public services are enormous. That change is clearly not coming fast enough.

“We’re living in turbulent times. There are challenges in all directions.

“Many expect simple answers to very complex questions but there are no simple answers and the budgets are limited.

“The age of two party dominance is dead. We need to recognise that multiple parties are now in contention across Wales.

“Social media has changed the way we do our politics. It sets the political narrative away from cameras and directly into people’s homes and living rooms.

“The electoral system clearly caused some confusion, but many people heeded and heard that message, ‘If you want to stop Reform, then vote for Plaid’.

“The people of Wales rejected Welsh Labour.

“I would like to congratulate Plaid Cymru on their momentous success and if they form the new government of Wales I know that we will all want to see very stable, clear leadership. We all want Wales to succeed.

“Reform has made substantial gains in Wales. We all understand the anger but Wales is stronger when we stand together. We need to heed the anger, not feed the anger.

“Being First Minister of Wales has been the privilege of my life, specifically so as the first woman to lead this nation.

“I have been proud under my term of office to see waiting lists come down for nine months in succession, rail services improve, record inward investment, women’s health hubs, but today politics is faster and harder. It rewards noise over truth and we need to understand that world, but we need to hold on to our values. Our values in the Labour party are those of fairness, solidarity and community.

“It is clear that results across the whole United Kingdom have demonstrated deep frustration with the Labour Party. We need to go back to being the party of the working class. We need the Labour party nationally to change course. We need the wealth of this nation to be more equally distributed away from the south east.

“But I was always clear that this election was about Wales and Keir Starmer was not on the ballot.

“I am taking responsibility and I am resigning.

“Finally here in west Wales we live in a place where you learn to ride out the storm. The wind in Wales has shifted from a breeze to a gale.

“The old certainties have been swept aside and our defences were shattered.

“We know in the Labour Party we have tough days ahead, but we are confident that the sun will shine again.

“I wish the very best to the people who will lead this incredible nation.

Speaking to the ‘Cambrian News, Plaid Cymru’s Elin Jones said: “It has been a fabulous result for Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion Penfro and throughout Wales.

“We clearly defeated Reform and will now replace Labour in Welsh Government. We will seek to run a minority government in Wales and deliver on our promises to the people of Wales.

“I want to thank the people of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire for giving such a resounding mandate for Plaid Cymru. The welcome on the doorstep was phenomenal and the Plaid Cymru team of volunteers were tireless in their canvassing efforts. I want to thank every single one for their support.

“I have felt as excited in winning my seventh election here as I did my first election in 1999. In a world characterised by apathy in politics, it has been uplifting to see true democracy in action in Wales.”

Referring to fellow elected Plaid Cymru MS’s Kerry Ferguson and Anna Nicholl, she added: “As a trio of Plaid Cymru Senedd Members in Ceredigion Penfro we will be starting our constituency work immediately. We’ll work together as a team not separately so we provide the best possible service to our constituents.

“We’ll let everyone know how we will arrange our work as a team, covering all the geography of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire and the issues so important in this constituency.

“My office in Aberystwyth will be open as always and my email remains [email protected].”

Susan Claire Archibald won the second seat for Reform.

Explaining more about herself and her hopes for Ceredigion Penfro, she said: “I was born in Pembroke and still live in the same house where I was born, so this community has always been at the centre of my life. I’m a mother of three, a former frontline healthcare worker, and trained in palliative care. Much of my life has been spent caring for others.

“To have been elected to the Senedd is both humbling and a huge honour. I feel incredibly grateful for the trust people across Ceredigion Penfro have placed in me, and I’m determined to work hard on their behalf and be a strong voice for local people and communities.

“My hopes for the constituency are centred around protecting and improving access to healthcare, supporting local families and businesses, and helping rebuild strong communities where people feel safe, supported and listened to. I believe politics should be grounded in common sense, compassion and real-life experience, and I’m proud to have the opportunity to help represent the people of Ceredigion Penfro in the Senedd.”

Aberystwyth-based Kerry Ferguson joins the Senedd for the first time after winning Ceredigion Penfro’s third seat.

Outlining her aims for her time in the Senedd, the Aberystwyth Town Councillor and local businesswoman told the ‘Cambrian News’: “I'm really keen to get started on the work of representing Ceredigion Penfro and making sure west Wales has a strong voice in the Senedd - to protect our rural NHS services, work for small businesses and our agriculture and tourism sectors.

“I feel privileged to have Elin and Anna by my side. We worked hard during the campaign but the real hard work of representing you starts now."

Paul Davies picked up the fourth seat for the Welsh Conservatives.

He said: “It’s a huge honour to represent Ceredigion Penfro at the Senedd and I’m very grateful to everyone who voted for me.

“I was born and raised in Ceredigion, and I’ve had the privilege of representing Preseli Pembrokeshire for almost 20 years and so I’m looking forward to representing Ceredigion Penfro at the Senedd.

“For too long, communities in west Wales have been overlooked and I will be doing everything I can to stand up for local people, local services, and local businesses.”

Reform candidate Paul Marr won Ceredigion Penfro’s fifth seat.

Introducing himself to ‘Cambrian News’ readers, he said: “I am a Prison Service veteran and latterly a manager in the NHS, leading an award-winning drug intervention programme.

“I have dedicated my career to public service, working multi-agency with the police, probation and social services to help offenders, addicts and those struggling with a myriad of mental health issues. I have seen people at their absolute worst and at their best after targeted help, and believe this experience gives me a unique insight into helping those with need.

“I live in Pembrokeshire with my wife and family and feel truly blessed to live in such a beautiful area of Wales. I genuinely love and am very proud of where I live. I am a great believer in fresh air and exercise and spend my time off exploring the stunning beaches and coves of our amazing coastline.

“I feel incredibly proud and privileged to have been given the opportunity to represent the people of Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire at the Senedd.

“I will strongly advocate to ensure that our special way of life here is maintained, by concentrating on issues that affect our quality of life. This will include working with the police on problems concerning anti-social behaviour and crime. I understand the dangers related to pollution in our seas and problems with waste on the streets and will work to ensure actions are taken to try to address this.

“With health and well-being dominating the foundation of our lives, I strongly believe everyone deserves good services in a timely manner. As such, I will work to promote initiatives that will help provide quicker treatment times.

“Wales would be nothing without the innovation of small businesses so I will promote start-up to help bring our high streets back.

“Finally and most importantly, I will endeavour to make sure Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire remains safe for us all.”

Taking the constituency’s sixth seat for Plaid Cymru is Cardigan’s Anna Nicholl who said: “It is a real privilege to have been elected and to have been part of this whole campaign.

“I’ve learnt so much, not least from chatting to so many people on their doorsteps so thank you very much for your time, and being part of this huge team that is Plaid Cymru in Ceredigion Penfro, so I’m ready now to get on to the Senedd and try to make a difference to Ceredigion Penfro. Diolch yn fawr.”