Editing Lib–Lab pact (section)

==Welsh Parliament==
When the first elections to the new [[Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament|Welsh Assembly]] took place in [[1999 National Assembly for Wales election|1999]] no one party had an absolute majority, and initially Labour sought to run a minority administration. Following a series of close votes and much criticism of the weakness of the Assembly administration, Labour and the Liberal Democrats formed a coalition in October 2000 with the two parties sharing power, including ministerial appointments, with Labour the majority party. The agreement ended at the [[2003 National Assembly for Wales election|elections of 2003]] when Labour won 50% of the seats and decided to form a minority government.<ref>{{cite news|title=National Assembly 2003 Election Results|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/vote2003/welsh_assembly/html/atoz.stm|access-date=29 December 2012|publisher=BBC News|date=2003-05-02}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What happens in the event of no overall majority for any party?|url=http://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/vote2011/your-questions-answered.htm#aftertheelection|publisher=National Assembly For Wales|access-date=29 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140830025104/http://www.assemblywales.org/gethome/vote2011/your-questions-answered.htm#aftertheelection|archive-date=30 August 2014|url-status=dead}}</ref>

On 11 May 2016, following the [[2016 National Assembly for Wales election|2016 election]] six days earlier, when the governing [[Welsh Labour|Labour Party]] had 29 AMs elected, one fewer than in [[2011 National Assembly for Wales election|2011]] and two short of an overall majority, Welsh Assembly members failed to elect a new [[First Minister of Wales|First Minister]] on their return to the [[Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament|Senedd]], after the roll-call tied the vote at 29–29; [[Plaid Cymru]] nominated its leader [[Leanne Wood]], and won the backing of the [[Conservative Party (UK)|Conservatives]] and [[UK Independence Party|UKIP]], while Labour's incumbent First Minister [[Carwyn Jones]] won the support of sole Liberal Democrat [[Kirsty Williams]], the only non-Labour member to back Jones in the tied vote for First Minister (and who, up until the day after the election, had been the leader of the [[Welsh Liberal Democrats]]), and his own party.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-36269820|title=Welsh Assembly: Deadlock in vote for first minister |date=11 May 2016 |publisher=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-05-20}}</ref> On 19 May 2016, after Jones was reinstalled unopposed as First Minister, following a deal with Plaid Cymru,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-politics-36312517|title=Carwyn Jones reappointed first minister after Labour-Plaid deal|date=18 May 2016 |publisher=BBC News|access-date=2016-05-20}}</ref> Williams was named [[Department for Education and Skills (Wales)|Cabinet Secretary for Education]] in Jones's new [[Welsh Government]]; her appointment as Education Secretary was subject to ratification by Liberal Democrat members at a special conference in [[Newtown, Powys]], on 21 May 2016 and was overwhelmingly approved.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-politics-36326335|title=Welsh Government includes Lib Dem Williams at education |date=19 May 2016 |publisher=BBC News|language=en-GB|access-date=2016-05-20}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/politics/kirsty-williams-confirmed-education-secretary-11366600|title=Kirsty Williams confirmed as Education Secretary in Carwyn Jones' cabinet|publisher=[[Wales Online]]|last=Jones|first=Ciaran|date=21 May 2016|access-date=3 July 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.libdemvoice.org/special-welsh-conference-votes-by-large-majority-to-back-kirsty-williams-as-education-minister-50667.html|title=+++80% of special Welsh conference members vote to back Kirsty Williams as Education Secretary in Welsh government|publisher=[[Lib Dem Voice]]|last=Walter|first=Paul|date=21 May 2016|access-date=3 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160529124224/http://www.libdemvoice.org/special-welsh-conference-votes-by-large-majority-to-back-kirsty-williams-as-education-minister-50667.html|archive-date=29 May 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>