Amazing news from New Zealand.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced at a meeting of her Labour party on January 19 that she will step down from office by February 7.
Sudden announcement of resignation
The Prime Minister began the press conference by saying that he had two important announcements to make, first announcing that the general election would be held on October 14th of this year.
and
Leading a country is the most honourable job. But it is also the most difficult, and a task that cannot be taken on unless you are fully energised and have the capacity to handle the unexpected. I have tried over the summer to prepare not only for the year ahead, but for my next term, but I have failed. Today I am announcing that my time as Prime Minister will end on the 7th of February.
and announced his resignation.
Prime Minister Ardern will continue to serve as a member of parliament in her constituency until April. The main reason she will not resign from her position as a member of parliament when she steps down as prime minister is that the general election is now in October, so if she resigns as a member of parliament in April, less than six months until October, there will be no need to hold a by-election.
Prime Minister Ardern
I don't have the energy to serve another four-year term.
He added that there is no "clear reason" for his decision to step down, adding that "I am human too."
I haven't decided what I'm going to do after I step down from Parliament. I don't have any next steps in mind at the moment, but whatever I do I will find something that will benefit New Zealand and for now I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family who have undoubtedly sacrificed so much for me.
To my daughter Neve, I look forward to being with you next year when you start primary school. And to you, Clark, we can finally get married.
And it seems family is a big reason.
Prime Minister Ardern became engaged to her partner Clarke Gayford in 2019 and were scheduled to marry in the summer of 2020, but the wedding was postponed due to the spread of COVID-19.
Prime Minister Ardern's journey
Prime Minister Ardern was born in 1980. She was first elected in 2008 and became leader of the Labour Party in 2017. In the general election immediately following, she contributed greatly to the recovery of the party's stagnant support ratings by significantly increasing the number of seats it won. Although she did not win a majority of seats, it was decided to form a coalition government with the New Zealand First Party, and she became the youngest prime minister in New Zealand history at 37 years and 3 months, and the third woman to hold the position.
In 2018, she gave birth to her first child, a daughter named Neve, with Gayford. She also made headlines when she was the first prime minister in the world to take six weeks of maternity leave while in office, and when she attended a United Nations gathering with her daughter.
In March 2019, a mass shooting occurred at a mosque in Christchurch, killing 51 people. This was the first major challenge he faced as Prime Minister. However, three days later, he was praised around the world for his quick decision to change the law and implement gun control measures.
When the spread of COVID-19 began in 2020, he was one of the first to implement strict entry restrictions and a national lockdown. His leadership drew worldwide attention and at the same time drew backlash from the public, but he achieved a major victory in the 2020 general election and successfully brought the Labour Party into power on its own.
However, a poll conducted at the end of last year showed that the worsening economic situation in New Zealand, with rising prices and interest rates, had caused the Labour Party's approval rating to fall to 32.3%, the lowest during Ardern's term in office, and there were even rumors that the prime minister might resign.
Labour Party confident of victory
Ardern said she had no energy left but that she had colleagues in the Labour Party who were capable of leading the country, and that she would not have stepped down if she had not been confident of winning the general election on October 14.
The Labour Party leadership election is scheduled to take place on January 22. The new leader will then become prime minister and formally accept Ardern's resignation.
Grant Robertson, who currently serves as Deputy Prime Minister, said there is no possibility that he will run for party leader, and that just like Prime Minister Ardern, there are many other suitable candidates within the party. He also reaffirmed his determination to continue supporting the leader.
Ardern is arguably the greatest leader New Zealand has ever had - intelligent, just and compassionate.
"I'm so grateful to Deputy Prime Minister Robertson for being the first openly gay cabinet member," he said.
Prime Minister Ardern at a press conference
Serving as Prime Minister has been the proudest moment of my life, and I am grateful to the New Zealand people for the great honour of leading our country for the past five and a half years.
He said.
