Minister Chris Hipkins, in charge of managing the COVID-19 pandemic, was appointed by the Labor Party as the replacement for Jacinda Ardern and the future prime minister of New Zealand, the government formation announced.
Hipkins, 44, is yet to be officially elected by the leadership of this center-left party on Sunday.
The new head of government will replace Ardern, after his surprising resignation on Thursday, and will lead his party in the next legislative elections, scheduled for October and in which he does not start as a favourite.
Hipkins served as Interior Minister since last June and had previously held the Education and Public Services portfolios.
“The Labor Party caucus will meet on Sunday to endorse the nomination and confirm Chris Hipkins as party leader”, Labor leader Duncan Webb said in a statement.
As leader of the ruling party, Hipkins will become prime minister when Ardern leaves office, no later than February 7.
Ardern, a global icon of progressive politics, shocked New Zealand by announcing his resignation from office, less than three years after winning a second term in a landslide electoral victory.
She was also the second prime minister in the world to give birth while in office.
The 42-year-old president, after guiding the country through natural disasters, the COVID-19 pandemic and the worst terrorist attack in its history, said she no longer had the “Energy” to continue in office.
“Firm and capable”
Ardern admitted that his decision to resign was “tinged with sadness”, but that after making the announcement he slept “good for the first time in a long time”.
Former New Zealand Prime Minister Helen Clark said that Ardern “He faced a level of hate and venom.” that “It is unprecedented in our country.”
His successor has been recognized as a reliable person with more than 14 years in Parliament.
Political commentator Josie Pagani called him “sensitive, personable, assertive and capable.”
His management of the pandemic received praise in a country where the borders were closed in 2020 and did not open until August last year.
After his arrival at the Ministry of the Interior, he acknowledged that the public was tired of the sanitary restrictions and the closure of borders.
Initially there was no reaction to the appointment of Hipkins from the National Party, the main opposition group.
The right-wing ACT party urged him to “comply in substance rather than shower New Zealand with propaganda”, and criticized his government party for its welfare policy and food prices.
Meanwhile, the Green Party said it hopes to work with him to “end poverty, take decisive climate action, and protect our native wildlife.”
Hipkins describes himself as an outdoor enthusiast, fond of mountain biking, hiking and swimming.
Source: Gestion
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