Fans and foes of the outgoing prime minister voice their opinions on social media.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that she will be stepping down as her country’s leader after nearly six years in office.
Ardern, head of the liberal Labour Party, said she will vacate her office no later than February 7. New Zealand’s next general election is set for October.
« I want to finish with a simple thank-you to New Zealanders for giving me this opportunity to serve, and to take on what has [been] and will always be the greatest role of my life, » Ardern told reporters Thursday NZDT, while holding back tears.
Ardern was elected in 2017 as New Zealand’s youngest prime minister in 150 years, and was reelected in 2020 in a vote that the Associated Press (AP) called a « landslide of historic propositions. » Her liberal party has faced a tough campaign year, however, as recent polls put the Labour Party behind its conservative rivals, AP wrote.
The liberal leader’s most recent term in office has been defined by her stringent response to COVID-19, which managed to stop the spread of the virus in her country for months. However, Ardern’s approach has been hotly contested by opponents for being too strict on citizens, and the prime minister said in December that New Zealand’s Royal Commission of Inquiry would examine whether the government made the right decisions battling COVID, reported AP.
