Sydney (Australia) (EFE)
Ardern, 42, made the announcement during a Labor Party meeting, saying shakily: “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 an overwhelming majority and for the Labor Party to govern alone, something that no New Zealand formation had achieved since the 1996 electoral reform.
“I’m not leaving it because it’s hard, I’m leaving it because this job entails great responsibility, and I don’t have enough energy to do it justice,” Ardern explained during a press conference, who said it will always be the “most beautiful” position of his life. .
no short term plans
The New Zealand politician stated that she has no plans once she leaves the position and that she will take the opportunity to spend more time with her family, while thinking about how to continue “helping New Zealand”.
He also stated that she has not chosen a successor, and in the coming days there will be a vote within her party to choose a candidate, with New Zealand holding elections on October 14.
His announcement comes as polls in recent months give the opposition National Party a certain lead in the elections.
Ardern became the world’s youngest female leader when she was elected prime minister in 2017 at age 37.
During her tenure, New Zealand has gone through numerous challenges, she herself recalled today, such as the covid-19 pandemic, the attack on two mosques in Christchurch in 2019, which left 51 dead, or the eruption of the White Island volcano that same year.
«I am human, politicians are people. For me, the time has come,” Ardern justified, visibly moved, stating that her country is “in a better place” now in several areas than it was years ago, including the fight against climate change.
“You can be kind and strong, and also be the kind of leader who knows when it’s time to walk away,” he argued.