The Prime Minister of New Zealand, Labor jacinda ardernunexpectedly announced this Thursday that he will leave his position next February, since he does not have “energy” to stand for re-election next October.
Ardern, 42, made the announcement during a Labor Party meeting in the eastern city of Napier, saying in a quavering voice: “I don’t have enough energy to get on with the job. It’s the moment“.
The charismatic politician managed in October 2020 to revalidate her mandate with a overwhelming majority and that the Labor Party governs alone, something that no New Zealand formation had achieved since the electoral reform of 1996.
“I’m not quitting because it’s hard, I’m quitting because this job carries great responsibility, And I don’t have enough energy to do it justice“, Ardern explained during a press conference, who has said that it will always be the “most beautiful” position of his life.
“I believe that leading a country is the greatest privilege that anyone can have, but also one of the most demanding jobs“, he stressed. “You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank and something else in reserve to face unexpected challenges,” he added.
no successor
In an emotional intervention in which he tried to hold back tears on several occasions, Ardern has stated that he has no plans once he leaves the position, and that he will take advantage of spend more time with your family while thinking about how to continue “helping New Zealand”.
Ardern had her only daughter, Neve, when she was already prime minister, and tried to normalize her role as mother and leader with iconic decisions such as taking the little girl as a baby to the UN General Assembly in New York in 2018, an image that went around the world, being the first time that a leader did so.
With no designated successor, he will be elected next January 22 in a vote within his party, with the winner needing two-thirds of the support of the members, a process that is expected to take no longer than February 7, the deadline that Ardern estimated for his resignation.
The deputy prime minister, Grant Robertson, an ally of Ardern, has affirmed that he is not seeking leadership, so there is no clear candidate to fill the position until the electoral appointment, which the prime minister marked on October 14.
electoral impact
His announcement, unexpected in general, takes place while polls give some advantage to the opposition National Party for the elections, with the formation of Ardern, which has remained popular although with the usual wear and tear of years at the controls, facing a drop in its support rates.
However, Ardern has said today that he believes that his formation “will win the elections”. “I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved over these two terms. We are a strong and effective team who have successfully steered New Zealand through the biggest challenges this country has faced in decades,” she emphasized.
achievements and challenges
Ardern became the youngest female leader in the world when she was elected prime minister in 2017 at age 37. During her tenure, New Zealand has faced numerous difficulties, she herself recalled today, such as the pandemic of COVID-19the attack on two mosques in Christ Church in 2019which left 51 dead, or the eruption of the White Island volcano that same year.
His management and reaction after the attack was especially applauded, later banning semi-automatic weapons used during the attack and reforming gun ownership laws.
But his dazzling career has recently been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which Ardern’s cabinet has faced with one of the strictest border closures on the planet, as well as the current scourge of inflation.
“I am human, politicians are people. For me, the time has come“, Ardern has justified today, stating that his country is “in a better place” now in several areas than years ago, including the fight against climate change.
The politician assured that she hopes to leave as a legacy that “you can be kind and strongand also be the kind of leader who knows when it’s time to walk away.”
Source: Lasexta
Mario Twitchell is an accomplished author and journalist, known for his insightful and thought-provoking writing on a wide range of topics including general and opinion. He currently works as a writer at 247 news agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
