New Zealand Labor MP Chris Hopkins is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as prime minister after becoming the sole candidate for the party’s leadership.
He was first elected to Parliament in 2008 and was appointed Minister for Covid-19 in November 2020.
In Ms Ardern’s surprise announcement on Thursday, she said she “doesn’t have enough in the tank” to lead.
How long Mr Hopkins will remain in office is uncertain as New Zealand has a general election in October.
Mr Hopkins, 44, is currently Minister for Police, Education and Public Service.
He will need formal confirmation from the Labor Party in the House of Representatives on Sunday before becoming leader.
If she gets that support, Ms Ardern will formally hand her resignation to the governor-general, who will then – on behalf of King Charles III – appoint Mr Hopkins as prime minister.
But the incoming Labor leader faces an uphill battle if he wants to stay in the top job beyond the 2023 election.
Inflation and rising social inequality have seen Ms Ardern’s popularity hit an all-time low, according to opinion polls.
He also suggested that public approval of the country’s Labor Party was similarly low.
Mr Hopkins’ appointment ends the immediate prospect of Justice Minister Kerry Allen becoming the country’s first Maori prime minister.
Announcing her resignation, Ms Ardern – who at 37 became the world’s youngest female head of government when she took office in 2017 – said the past five-and-a-half years had been “the most difficult” of her life. “Quiet.”
However, he added that it was difficult to lead the country during a “crisis” – with the Covid outbreak, the Christchurch mosque shootings and the White Island volcano erupting during his prime ministership.
Reaction to Ms Ardern’s announcement was mixed, with some suggesting she was “running before she was fired”.
But leading New Zealand actor Sam Neill said he had been subjected to “disgraceful” treatment by “bullies” and “bullies”.
If Labor loses the general election, Mr Hopkins will have spent just eight months as leader of the nation – although the shortest prime ministership was Harry Atkinson’s in 1884, which lasted just eight days.
