New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday that she will step down in February.
“For me the time has come,” she declared during a meeting with members of her Labor Party. “I don’t have the energy for another four years.”
Jacinda Ardern has led the New Zealand government since 2017 and won the next election, in 2020, by an absolute majority.
However, the prime minister has seen her popularity (and that of her party) plummet in recent polls.
“I’m not leaving because we can’t win the next election,” Ardern said tonight, “but because I believe we’re going to win it. New Zealand has a general election on October 14.
Jacinda Ardern announced that she would leave the government by February 7, with the party to choose her successor on January 22.
Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has already said he will not run for office.
“I am human. We give as much as we can give as long as we can, and the time has come. For me, the time has come. I am leaving because with this privileged job comes a huge responsibility. And that responsibility is know when you are the best person to lead — and when you are not,” the still-prime minister said while meeting members of her party.
Source: DN
