New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern to step down by February before fall election – National | Globalnews.ca
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern will not seek reelection and plans to stand down no later than early February, she said in a televised statement on Thursday.
A general election will be held on Oct. 14, she added.
“This summer, I had hoped to find a way to prepare for not just another year, but another term – because that is what this year requires,” a visibly emotional Ardern said during the statement. “I have not been able to do that.”
Ardern’s term will conclude no later than Feb. 7.
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Ardern said she believed her New Zealand Labour Party would still win the upcoming election and added that a vote to elect the next Labour leader would be held on Sunday.
New Zealand Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson, who also serves as finance minister, said in a statement he would not seek to stand as the next Labour leader.
Ardern has served two terms as prime minister and became a popular leader on the global stage.
Her response to the COVID-19 pandemic was praised by local and international politicians and health experts, helping her win reelection in a landslide victory in 2020.
New Zealand’s tight curbs on social gatherings even forced Ardern to postpone her own wedding early last year.
More to come…
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