WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a shock announcement on Thursday that she has “no one left in the tank” to continue leading the country and will step down in early February and seek re-election. Will not fight.
Fighting back tears, Ardern said it had been a tough five-and-a-half years as prime minister and she was only human and needed to step aside.
“This summer, I had hoped to find a way to prepare not just for another year, but for another term – because that’s what this year is all about. I couldn’t,” he said. Ardern, 42, told a news conference.
“I know there will be a lot of debate after the verdict as to what the so-called ‘real’ reason was… You just get an interesting angle that after six years of facing some big challenges, I, the man, ” he continued.
“Politicians are human, we give as much as we can, as long as we can, and then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.”
New Zealand’s ruling Labor Party will vote for a new leader on Sunday. The party leader will remain the prime minister until the next general election. Ardern’s term as leader will end on February 7 and a general election will be held on October 14.
Ardern said she was confident Labor would win the next election.
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who also serves as finance minister, said in a statement that he would not seek to stand as Labor leader.
Political commentator Ben Thomas said Ardern’s announcement was a big surprise as polls still rated him as the country’s favorite prime minister even though his party’s support had fallen from the highs seen during the 2020 election. .
Thomas said there was no clear successor.
Ardern said she was not resigning because the job was difficult, but because she believed others could do a better job.
She made a point of telling her daughter Neve that she was looking forward to being there when she started school this year and told her longtime partner Clarke Gifford that it was time for them to get married.
Empathetic leader
Ardern’s early election caused a global stir due to her gender and youth, which coined the phrase “Jacinda-mania”.
His compassionate leadership style was strengthened by his response to the mass shootings at two Christchurch mosques in 2019 that killed 51 people and injured 40.
Ardern quickly labeled the attacks “terrorism” and wore a hijab as she met with the Muslim community a day after the attack, telling them the entire country was “united in grief”. He promised and delivered major gun law reforms within a month.
“Jacinda Ardern has shown the world how to lead with wisdom and strength. She has proven that compassion and insight are leadership qualities,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Thursday.
Ardern has won plaudits across the political spectrum for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen the country face some of the toughest measures globally but result in one of the lowest death tolls.
But its popularity has waned over the past year as inflation has hit a nearly three-decade high, the central bank has aggressively raised cash rates and crime has soared.
The country has become increasingly politically divided over issues such as the government’s overhaul of water infrastructure and the introduction of an agricultural emissions program.
