Jacinda Ardern to resign as New Zealand prime minister
CBC
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose empathetic handling of the nation's worst mass-shooting and health-driven response to the coronavirus pandemic led her to become an international icon but who faced mounting criticism at home, said Thursday she was leaving office.
Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 will be her last day as prime minister.
"I am entering now my sixth year in office, and for each of those years, I have given my absolute all," she said.
She also announced that New Zealand's next general elections would be held on Oct. 14, and that she would remain a lawmaker until then.
Her announcement came as a shock to people throughout the nation of five million people. Although there had been some chatter in political circles that Ardern might resign before the next election, she'd always firmly said she planned to run again.
It's unclear who will take over as prime minister until the election. Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson announced he wouldn't be contesting for the leadership of the Labour Party, throwing the competition open.
Ardern became an inspiration to women around the world after winning the top job in 2017 at the relatively young age of 37.
The following year, she became just the second world leader to give birth while holding office. When she brought her infant daughter to the floor of the UN General Assembly in New York in 2018, it brought smiles to people everywhere.
In March 2019, Ardern faced one of the darkest days in New Zealand's history when a white supremacist gunman stormed two mosques in Christchurch and slaughtered 51 people. She was widely praised for the way she embraced the survivors and New Zealand's Muslim community in the aftermath.
She was lauded globally for her country's initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic after New Zealand managed to stop the virus at its borders for months. But it's zero-tolerance strategy was abandoned once it was challenged by new variants and vaccines became available.
But Ardern faced growing anger at home from those who opposed coronavirus mandates and rules. A protest last year that began on parliament's grounds lasted for more than three weeks and ended with protesters hurling rocks at police and setting fires to tents and mattresses as they were forced to leave.
The heated emotions around the coronavirus debate led to a level of vitriol directed at Ardern that was rarely been seen by former New Zealand leaders. This year, Ardern was forced to cancel an annual barbecue she hosts due to security fears.
Ardern had been facing tough election prospects. Her Labour Party won re-election two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.
Ardern described her job as among the most privileged but challenging and said doing it required having a reserve to face the unexpected. She said she no longer had that reserve to serve another term.
