It's time: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern announces shock resignation

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern a global figurehead of progressive politics shocked the country Thursday by announcing she would resign from office in a matter of weeksThe 42yearold who steered the country through natural disasters the Covid pandemic and its worstever terror attack said she no longer had enough in the tankI am human We give as much as we can for as long as we can and then its time And for me its time she said at a meeting of members of her Labour PartyArdern said she would step down no later than February 7 less than three years after winning a landslide election to secure her second term in officeSince that 2020 peak of Jacindamania Arderns government has struggled its popularity hampered by soaring inflation a looming recession and a resurgent conservative oppositionI believe that leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have but also one of the more challenging Ardern saidYou cannot and should not do it unless you have a full tank plus a bit in reserve for those unexpected challengesArdern won international acclaim for her empathetic handling of the 2019 Christchurch mosque massacre in which 51 Muslim worshippers were killed and another 40 woundedAlso Read Qantas plane lands safely after mayday call made over oceanLater that year she was praised for her decisive leadership during the fatal White Island also known as Whakaari volcano eruptionOn Thursday she cited her governments actions on housing affordability climate change and child poverty as further sources of prideAnd weve done that while responding to some of the biggest threats to the health and economic wellbeing of our nation arguably since World War II Ardern saidFeatured on the covers of British Vogue and Time magazine there was a perception that Ardern was more popular abroad than she was at homeAt her peak she was a domestic force but her government has been steadily sliding in the polls over the last yearIts about time Shes wrecked the economy and food prices have skyrocketed said Esther Hedges from Cambridge on New Zealands north islandIm not happy with her and I dont know anyone who is the 65yearold addedChristina Sayer 38 said Ardern was the best prime minister we have hadI like the type of person she is and she cares about people Im sorry to see her goThe stress of the job has been evident with Ardern showing a rare lapse of poise last month when she was unwittingly caught calling an opposition politician an arrogant prick A new leader New Zealand will choose its next prime minister in a general election held on October 14 Ardern announcedShe said she would continue to serve as an electorate MP until thenHer departure leaves a void at the top of the Labour party with her deputy Grant Robertson swiftly ruling out a tilt at the leadershipAlthough recent polls indicate a centreright coalition will likely win the election Ardern said that was not the reason for her resignationI am not leaving because I believe we cannot win the next election but because I believe we can and will she saidI am leaving because with such a privileged job comes a big responsibility The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when youre notArdern was the second prime minister in the world to give birth while in office after Pakistans Benazir Bhutto in 1990She said she was looking forward to spending more time with her daughter Neve who is due to start school later this year and finally getting married to her partner TV personality Clarke GayfordAustralian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese led international tributes to Ardern saying she had shown the world how to lead with intellect and strengthShe has demonstrated that empathy and insight are powerful leadership qualities Albanese saidJacinda has been a fierce advocate for New Zealand an inspiration to so many and a great friend to meThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever