New Zealand PM Resigns Ahead of Election

By Staff, Agencies

New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern has sent a jolt around the world by announcing she will not seek re-election.

The Labor Party premier said in an emotional and tearful address that she planned to stand down next month, saying she was too tired to seek a third term.

“I no longer have enough in the tank,” said the 42-year-old, who had secured a reputation internationally for a no-nonsense approach to politics and leading her country.

Recently she was caught on a hot mic, calling a rival an “arrogant p***”. The pair agreed to see the funny side of it, and auctioned a signed recording of the comments for charity.

Ardern became the world’s youngest female head of government when she was elected prime minister in 2017, aged 37, and said she had taken time last summer to ponder her future.

“I had hoped that I would find what I needed to carry on over that period but, unfortunately, I haven’t, and I would be doing a disservice to New Zealand to continue,” she said.

She added: “I hope I leave New Zealanders with a belief that you can be kind but strong, empathetic but decisive, optimistic but focused ... that you can be your own kind of leader, one who knows when it’s time to go.”

As a result, she will stand down as Labor Party leader no later than 7 February and there will be a vote in days ahead to decide her replacement. New Zealand will hold a general election on 14 October.

Ardern had won plaudits from many for the way she handled a number of crises that struck her nation of five million people, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Christchurch mosque shootings, and the White Island volcanic eruption.

Australia's prime minister Anthony Albanese was among those to offer quick praise. He said: “Jacinda Ardern has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength. She has demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities.”

He added: “Jacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand, an inspiration to so many and a great friend to me.”

Christopher Luxon, leader of New Zealand’s opposition National Party, wrote on Twitter: “On behalf of the National Party, I offer to Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern our thanks for her service to New Zealand.”

He added: “She has given her all to this incredibly demanding job and I wish her and her family all the very best for the future. Thank you Jacinda.”

Ardern said she would stay on a member of parliament until October to spare her constituents the need for a by-election but that her last day as party leader and prime minister would be 7 February.

She claimed there would be many who would try to ascertain the “real reason” for her departure and acknowledged some would question whether she felt she could not win a third term.

The Associated Press pointed out Ardern had faced a tough election campaign this year. While her liberal-leaning Labor Party won re-election two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

Yet, she claimed that was not the case and that she believed her party would win in October.

“I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job,” she said.

“I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not. I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple.”

She added: “We need a fresh set of shoulders for that challenge.”

Ardern said she had not thought about her future. “I have no plan. No next steps – all I know is that whatever I do, I will try and find ways to keep working for New Zealand.”

She completed her speech, delivered in the city of Napier, with promises to her family members – her partner, Clarke Gayford, with whom she had to postpone their wedding because of COVID, and their child, Neve Te Aroha. Her daughter was born in 2018, and Ardern became only the second elected head of government to give birth while in office, after Benazir Bhutto in 1990.

“I’m looking forward to spending time with my family once again,” she said.