- Jacinda Ardern announced that she will step down in the coming weeks.
- She expects a new Labour prime minister to be sworn in.
- The next general election in New Zealand will be held on October 14.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that she will step down in the coming weeks to make way for a new leader, citing a lack of energy to run for re-election in October.
Ardern said at a press conference that her term would end on February 7, when she expects a new Labour prime minister to be sworn in – though “depending on the process, that could be earlier.”
“The decision was my own,” Ardern said. “Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also the most challenging. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges.”
“I no longer have enough in the tank to do the job justice,” she added.
Challenges
She spoke candidly about the toll the job has taken and reflected on the various crises her government has faced, including the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced New Zealand to impose some of the world’s strictest border rules, separating families and barring almost all foreigners from nearly two years.
Ardern’s leadership was also defined by the 2019 Christchurch terror attack, which killed 51 people at two mosques. Her quick response drew widespread praise; she quickly enacted gun-control legislation, wore a hijab to show her respect for the Muslim community, and publicly stated that she would never speak the name of the alleged attacker.
Only nine months later, on Te Puia o Whakaari, also known as White Island, a deadly volcanic eruption killed 22 people.
Ardern announced on Thursday that she has begun thinking about leaving at the end of 2022.
“The only interesting angle that you will find is that after going on six years of some big challenges, I am human. Politicians are people, too,” she said. “We give everything we have for as long as we can, and then it’s time. And it’s time for me.”
Accomplishments
Ardern also emphasized accomplishments during her tenure, such as legislation on climate change and child poverty. “I wouldn’t want the last five and a half years to be just about the difficulties. It has also been about progress”.
Ardern’s resignation was “shocking,” but not entirely unexpected, according to Bryce Edwards, a political scientist at New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington.
“She is celebrated throughout the world but her government has plummeted in the polls,” he said.
The next general election in New Zealand will be held on October 14.
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