Llywydd
Elin was elected in May 1999 as the Assembly Member for Ceredigion, and in the first term of the Assembly she was Shadow Minister for Economic Development. Following the Assembly election in 2003, she retained this portfolio until 2006, when she became Shadow Minister for the Environment, Planning and Countryside. On 9 July 2007, the One Wales Government was formed and Elin was appointed Minister for Rural Affairs.
Elin is the Senedd’s Llywydd (Presiding Officer), and has been since 2016. The role of the Llywydd of the Senedd mirrors the roles of Speakers and Presiding Officers in parliaments across the world. The Llywydd chairs the Plenary meetings, remaining politically impartial at all times. The Llywydd also plays an active role in representing the Senedd and Wales’s interests on a national, UK and international stage and chairs the Senedd Commission.
Elin was born and raised on a farm in Llanwnnen, near Lampeter. She attended Llanwnnen Primary School and Lampeter Secondary School. She went to study a BSc in Economics at the University of Cardiff, before returning to Ceredigion to undertake a MSc in Rural Economics at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth.
Elin lives in Aberaeron and enjoys music, movies and reading. She is a member of Côr ABC in Aberystwyth, and has also been a member of the group Cwlwm.