She made the announcement at a Labor party event on Thursday. The reason given by the 42-year-old was that she felt she no longer had enough strength for another four years in office. When Ardern was elected Prime Minister in 2017, she became one of the youngest women to head a government at the age of 37.
“It’s time for me,” said Ardern. “I just don’t have enough in the tank for another four years.” The head of government was obviously referring to the upcoming parliamentary elections in October this year and the subsequent legislative period. She will give up her post on February 7, Ardern said.
“Others can do better”
The 42-year-old politician, who fought back tears at times, said her nearly six years as Prime Minister had been a tough one. You haven’t found a way to prepare for another year and another term.
She said she is not stepping down because prime minister’s job is difficult, but because she believes others can do better. She told her four-year-old daughter Neve that she would be there when she started school this year. It is also time to marry her longtime partner Clarke Gayford.
The ruling New Zealand Labor Party will elect a new leader on Sunday. The party leader will also hold the post of prime minister until the next general election on October 14.
Youngest prime minister in the world
The popular Labor politician came into media focus around the world when she became the youngest Prime Minister in the world in 2017 at the age of only 37. In just a few months, she rose from deputy opposition leader to head of government. Her meteoric rise has a name in New Zealand: Jacindamania. When she gave birth to daughter Neve in June 2018, she became the first prime minister in decades to give birth while in office.
Image: MICHAEL BRADLEY (AFP)
crisis manager
In all her years in government, the charismatic politician made a name for herself, above all with her sensitive crisis management. This applied, among other things, to New Zealand’s path through the corona pandemic. Ardern also received a lot of recognition for her reaction to the terrorist attack in March 2019 on two mosques in Christchurch that killed 51 people. At the time, she gave a moving speech and wore a headscarf to show her solidarity with the Muslim community around the world. Most recently, however, the popularity ratings of the head of government and her party had fallen in surveys.
“With such a privileged role comes responsibility, including the responsibility of knowing when you are the right person to lead and when you are not,” she said. The office asked a lot of her. “You can and should only do the job when you have a full tank, plus a little reserve for the unplanned and unexpected challenges that inevitably come.” She hopes she has given New Zealanders the belief that they can be their own kind of leader: “Someone who knows when it’s time to go.”
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