Tributes paid to Lord Elis-Thomas, first presiding officer of the Welsh Assembly Tributes have been paid to Lord Elis-Thomas, the former Plaid Cymru leader and first presiding officer of the Welsh Assembly, who died last week.
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the leader of Plaid Cymru, told the Senedd: “For me from my very earliest times he was there, a friend, a friend of the family, an influence, an inspiration in so many different ways, but for us all, from the very early days of our democracy, Dafydd was there to guide us.
Referring to his time as the then Welsh Assembly’s first presiding officer, the First Minister said: “He succeeded to be this institution’s greatest defender, but also its greatest critic too.
“He set out his vision on all platforms, on the streets of his community, so young in entering the House of Commons, then to the second chamber, while simultaneously sinking deeper and deeper into the public life of our nation, our language education, and then to our own Senedd and the visionary presiding officer.
Addressing Senedd members, Ms Jones said: “He was a close friend to many here, a political comrade to many too, and an enigma to all.
