WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern apologized for calling a political rival an “arrogant prick” in parliament on Tuesday, as the prime minister faces a drop in popular support.
During a heated parliamentary debate, Ardern raised the issue when an opposition party leader asked her to give an example of a time she had made a mistake, apologized and corrected it.
The prime minister gave an impassioned, detailed reply, then mumbled as she sat down “such an arrogant prick” that the microphone in Parliament picked up.
New Zealand’s ACT Party leader, David Seymour, objected to the comments directed at him and asked the Speaker of the House of Representatives to retract them.
Ardern’s office later said she had apologized.
The 42-year-old has been prime minister for five years, and has won worldwide acclaim for her handling of crises and her down-to-earth approach to politics.
She was one of the first prime ministers to become a mother while in office and enjoyed sky-high ratings for most of her two terms.
But with New Zealand expected to go to the polls in late 2023 and the cost of living skyrocketing, it is under increasing political pressure.
His support for the Labor Party appears to be on the wane with the latest opinion polls showing him trailing the opposition National Party by five percentage points.
Arden, Marian ‘Womansplain’ Journalist
Earleir On 1 December, the Prime Ministers of NZ and Finland responded to a journalist’s suggestion that they arrange a meeting because they are “the same age”.
New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern and Finland’s Sanna Marin said at a press conference in Auckland that they met because she is prime minister and not because of their gender.
“A lot of people will wonder if you two are dating just because you are the same age and have a lot in common,” asked the journalist.
PM Ardern questioned whether male politicians face the same question, interrupting the journalist.
“My first question is, I wonder if anyone ever asked Barack Obama and John Key if they met because they were the same age?” PM Ardern asked.
He said that the proportion of men in politics is high. “Because two women meeting is not just because of their gender,” she added.
