Updated: May 13, 2021, 5:05 pm
Natasha Asghar (Ben Birchall/PA)
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The first woman of colour to win a seat in the Welsh Parliament says a lack of diversity in politics is partly down to the “brutalisation” people risk receiving on social media.
Natasha Asghar became only the fifth non-white member of the Senedd in its 22-year history after she was elected to represent South Wales East for the Welsh Conservatives in last week’s election.
Wales has elected its first woman of colour to the Senedd
Natasha Asghar was elected to the region her father used to represent
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Natasha Asghar has made history as the first woman of colour to be elected to the Senedd.
BBC News
Welsh election 2021: First female MS of colour hopes to inspire change
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Some 22 years since the formation of the Senedd, Natasha Asghar has become the first woman from a Black, Asian or minority ethnic (BAME) background to have been elected .
She is also the first to have held a seat as a Welsh MP or a Welsh Member of European Parliament.
Conservative Ms Asghar, who will represent the South Wales East region, said she had stood to be a voice for those who faced barriers entering politics. We have no real political influential women of colour in Wales and I am honoured beyond comprehension to be the first one, she said.
Education minister
Kirsty Williams has represented the Brecon and Radnorshire constituency for the Welsh Liberal Democrats since 1999, also serving as the party s leader in Wales for a total of eight years. She told the Senedd it had been a pleasure to serve in the Welsh Parliament, where members had built, and were continuing to build, a democracy fit for all the people of our nation .
Independent MS Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas and Lib Dem MS Kirsty Williams hold positions in the current Welsh Government. The minister said there was honour in finding common ground for the common good across parties and policies .