“I don’t have enough in the tank anymore”
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprisingly resigns
New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern surprisingly announced her resignation on Thursday. At her first press conference of the year, she announced she would step down on February 7.
Published: 1:29 am
|
Updated: 14 minutes ago
1/5
New Zealand’s Prime Minister has announced her resignation.
In an emotional press conference, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced her resignation. She says: “I know what you need for this job and I know that I don’t have enough in the tank anymore. It is so easy.” She justifies her decision with the words: “We all give as long as we can give and then it’s over. And now is the time for me.”
Her resignation will take effect upon the appointment of a successor. A new leader of the Labor Party is to be elected on Saturday.
Ardern said of her resignation: “With such a privileged role comes responsibility, including the responsibility of knowing when you are the right person to lead and when you are not.”
“Someone who knows when it’s time to go.”
The office asked a lot of her. “You can and should only do the job when you have a full tank, plus a little reserve for the unplanned and unexpected challenges that inevitably come.”
She hopes she has given New Zealanders the belief that they can be their own kind of leader: “Someone who knows when it’s time to go.”
When she was elected Prime Minister in 2017, Ardern became one of the youngest women to head a government at the age of 37. A new New Zealand government will be elected on October 14. (eu)