Nia Jeffreys has been named as the new leader of the Plaid Cymru group on Cyngor Gwynedd.
The Porthmadog East councillor was elected at a party meeting in Caernarfon on Wednesday night.
She is currently the temporary leader of Cyngor Gwynedd, following Dyfrig Siencyn's resignation last month.
The county council is expected to formally elect a new leader when it meets on 5th December.
Cllr Jeffreys, who has been a county councillor since 2017, is the first female leader of the Plaid group - the largest on the council, with 46 members.
She has been deputy leader of both the local authority and the Plaid group since 2022.
Mr Siencyn resigned following amid a row over the inquiry into disgraced headteacher Neil Foden, who was jailed for at least 17 years for sexually abusing four girls.
An interview with Newyddion S4C, in which he refused to apologise to Foden's victims, led to the resignation of four councillors from his cabinet.
He later retracted his remarks and apologised to "all those who suffered", but resigned less than a week later following pressure from his colleagues.
Cllr Jeffreys, who is currently the council's interim leader, paid tribute to Mr Siencyn "for his work for local government over the past few years."
She added: "I am extremely grateful to the members of Plaid Cymru Gwynedd for the trust they have shown in me. I'm looking forward to working with them and getting on with the work for the residents of Gwynedd."
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