"It’s Time": Jacinda Ardern Steps Down as New Zealand Prime Minister
"I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," she said.
(SPOT.ph) New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern said Thursday, January 19, that she is stepping down as prime minister. It was a challenging job, and "it's time" for her to pass the baton, she said.
Ardern, who became a global inspiration for swiftly and effectively taming COVID-19 in her own country while balancing motherhood, said that while leading the country is a privilege, it also proved to be challenging. She won't be seeking reelection and she will end her term on February 7, she said.
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"The only interesting angle you will find is that after going on six years of some big challenges, that I am human. Politicians are human. We give all that we can, for as long as we can, and then it’s time," the 42-year-old Kiwi leader said in a shocking announcement. She clarified that she is "not leaving because it was hard."
"I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not. I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple."
What's Next for Jacinda Ardern
Ardern plans to shift her focus on her family, whom she said "sacrificed the most out of all of us."
She addressed her daughter, Neve, saying she is "looking forward" to joining her when she starts school, and her partner Clarke, to whom she said "let’s finally get married."
"I hope in return I leave behind a belief that you can be kind, but strong. Empathetic, but decisive. Optimistic, but focused. That you can be your own kind of leader—one that knows when it’s time to go."
Ardern became an icon for being the world's youngest female head of government in 2017 when she was 37. She is also the world's second elected world leader to give birth while in office in 2018. She also made history when she brought her baby Neve to the United Nations General Assembly in 2018, and the first-ever New Zealand prime minister to join the 2018 national pride march.
The New Zealand prime minister is also known for her swift condemnation of the March 2019 Christchurch terror attacks, her quick assistance to the survivors of the White Island volcanic eruption in December 2019, and her immediate action to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.
Aside from Ardern, other notable resignations of late were of United Kingdom's Liz Truss, who stepped down as British prime minister after just 45 days. She's well known in the world of Internet humor as the one who lost to a head of lettuce that stayed fresh longer than her tenure. There's also the late Shinzo Abe, known as Japan's longest-serving prime minister until he resigned in 2020 citing health reasons. He was assassinated in July 2022.