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Jacinda Ardern, New Zealand’s Leader, Says She Will Step Down
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| Contributor | Bojicat |
| Last Edited | Bojicat Jan 18, 2023 08:15pm |
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| Category | News |
| Author | New York Times |
| News Date | Thursday, January 19, 2023 12:00:00 AM UTC0:0 |
| Description | Ms. Ardern, a global liberal icon who has faced rising political headwinds at home, will leave office on Feb. 7, she said.
Jacinda Ardern, who became a global liberal icon as New Zealand’s prime minister but faced rising political headwinds with an election looming at home, said in a surprise announcement on Thursday that she would step down next month as the country’s leader.
In a tearful speech in the New Zealand city of Napier, where Ms. Ardern’s Labour Party was hosting its summer caucus retreat, she said she did not feel emotionally equipped to complete another term.
“I believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also one of the more challenging,” Ms. Ardern said. “You cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challenges.”
She added: “This has been the most fulfilling five and a half years of my life. I am leaving because with such a privileged job comes a big responsibility.”
Labour lawmakers will elect a new leader of the party — and the country — in three days’ time, Ms. Ardern said.
Ms. Ardern, 42, became prime minister in 2017 and won a historic re-election victory in 2020, largely on the strength of New Zealand’s response to Covid, which allowed residents to live a mostly normal life for much of the pandemic. But her party has since fallen sharply in the polls amid economic troubles and some highly publicized instances of violent crime.
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