Jacinda Ardern, the Prime Minister of New Zealand, announced her resignation from the position, citing burnout and lack of energy to continue leading the country. The shocking news comes as polling indicates a difficult path for her Labour Party in the upcoming election on October 14th. Ardern, 42, became emotional as she explained that the past six years in the job had taken a toll on her. The Labour Party will vote for her replacement on Sunday. If no successor gets the support of two-thirds of the party room, the vote will go to Labour’s lay membership.
Ardern became the youngest female head of government in the world when she was elected Prime Minister in 2017 at the age of 37. A year later, she became the second elected world leader to ever give birth while in office, after Pakistan’s Benazir Bhutto in 1990. She led New Zealand through the Covid-19 pandemic and its ensuing recession, the Christchurch mosque shootings, and the White Island volcanic eruption. Ardern stated that the past five-and-a-half years had been the “most fulfilling” of her life, but leading the country during “crisis” had been difficult.
Politicians from both sides of the spectrum, as well as international leaders, have expressed their admiration for Ardern’s leadership and service to the country. However, while Ardern was often seen as a political star globally, opinion polls suggest she was increasingly unpopular at home. In 2022, she stated that her declining popularity was the price her government had paid for keeping people safe from Covid-19. Additionally, she has also been confronted with a cost-of-living crisis, national fears about crime, and a backlog of election promises put off during the pandemic.
Reaction to her announcement has been mixed, with some praising her as one of the greatest prime ministers in New Zealand’s history, while others blame her for increased crime and rising living costs. Ardern stressed that she was not resigning because she and the party were unpopular, but instead believes that a fresh set of shoulders is needed for the upcoming election. Contenders for the job have yet to emerge, but speculation is already swirling around possible candidates.
