WELLINGTON (Reuters)-New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a shocking announcement that there was “nothing left in the tank” to lead the country.
Holding back tears, Ardern said his five-and-a-half years as prime minister had been tough, saying he was just a human being and he needed to step down.
“This summer, I wanted to find a way to prepare myself not just for his next year, but for the next semester, because that’s what’s needed this year.” I couldn’t do it,” Ardern, 42, said at a press conference.
“I know there is a lot of debate about what the so-called ‘real’ reason was following this decision. The only interesting angle you’ll find is that after six years with some big challenges, I’m human,” she continued.
A vote for the new leader of the ruling New Zealand Labor Party will take place on Sunday. The party leader will remain prime minister until the next general election. Ardern’s term will end by February 7, and a general election will be held on October 14. Ardern said he believed Labor would win the next election.
New Zealand’s deputy prime minister and finance minister, Grant Robertson, said in a statement that he would not run for the next Labor leader.
Ardern’s successor as party leader and prime minister faces a severe test in the general election.
Commentators have pointed to several of Ardern’s ministers as possible roles, including former COVID minister and current Education and Police Commissioner Chris Hipkins and current Attorney General Kiri Allen.
She told her daughter Neve that she was looking forward to being there when she started school this year, and when she married her longtime partner, Clark Gayford. came. Riding the wave of the “Jacinda Frenzy”, she was an impassioned advocate for women’s rights and for ending child poverty and economic inequality in the country.
Eight months after becoming prime minister, she became the second elected leader to give birth to a child during her tenure, after Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan. Many saw Ardern as part of a wave of progressive women leaders, including Finnish Prime Minister Sanna Marin.
Her sensitive leadershipHer style is cemented by her response to the 2019 Christchurch mosque shootings that left 51 dead and 40 of her wounded became.
Ardern was quick to call the attack “terrorism” and when she met with the Muslim community the day after the attack she wore a hijab and said the whole country was “united in grief”. said. Within a month, she promised and acted on major reforms to gun laws.
Prime Minister Ardern has been praised across his political spectrum for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has faced the country with some of the toughest measures in the world, but also resulted in the lowest number of deaths.
The country is increasingly politically divided over issues such as a government overhaul of water infrastructure and the introduction of an agricultural emissions program. Ardern and Labor have seen their support in the polls slip.
Political commentators say Ardern’s resignation could not only strengthen the opposition Conservative National Party but also give Labor a chance to refresh and redeploy before the election.
