The man who would be the new king of Welsh politics is a quiet, gentle-mannered politician who, even his allies admit, is not a charismatic leader. And while his style is low-key, his road to the threshold of power has been a rocky one.

Ieuan Wyn Jones took the helm at Plaid Cymru in 2000, but quit three years later after assembly elections in which the Welsh nationalists lost ground to Labour. Months later, amid some confusion, he returned as Plaid’s leader in the Welsh Assembly while ceding power with the creation of a separate post of party president.

Such turbulance is well behind him as, a week from now, he looks set to be make history twice: as the first nationalist to lead Wales, and as the leader of Britain’s first three-party coalition for the best part of a century.

Like many Welsh politicians involved in the frenetic events of the past few days, Mr Jones admitted to fatigue when he met The Times yesterday after a series of cross-party talks that have run since the election on May 3. But there was a twinkle in his eye as, around him in the assembly building in Cardiff Bay, negotiation teams from Plaid, the Conservatives and the Lib Dems put final touches to a coalition deal.

The son of a self-educated slate quarryman and Baptist minister from Gwynedd, North Wales, Mr Jones was educated at grammar school and Liverpool polytechnic and became a country solicitor before entering the Commons as Plaid’s MP for Ynys Môn in 1987. He switched to represent the same seat in the Welsh Assembly after its creation in 1999 and became party a year later.

Mr Jones, 58, appears to have achieved the feat of downgrading the Welsh nationalists’ policy of independence, so broadening the party’s electoral appeal. Independence is a long-term vision, and will remain so under his leadership.

His wish for a referendum to decide whether the assembly should become a Welsh parliament with law-making powers is shared with other parties, although legislation passed last year means that he would need the support of at least 40 of the assembly’s 60 members – that would mean some Labour assembly members – and backing from Westminster.

His second achievement is to revive a party that, after storming some of Labour’s heartlands in the first assembly elections eight years ago, suffered reverses in the three subsequent polls.

He said that their 2007 election campaign was handled more professionally than previously, and that he was excited by the prospect of a Plaid-led government. “We have a very positive programme which sits comfortably with what we have always wanted to achieve for Wales in terms of public services, equality and improving people’s lives,” he said.

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