 Wood was elected leader of Plaid Cymru on 15 March 2012, defeating Elin Jones and Dafydd Elis Thomas.In winning the election she became the first female leader of the party, and the first leader of the party not to speak fluent Welsh although learning the language.Her leadership platform included a call for "real independence — genuinely working to end war, inequality and discrimination", emphasising economic and environmental concerns alongside constitutional reform.