Thursday, November 21
Shadow

New Zealand prime minister resigns: ‘No longer have enough in the tank’ | USA TODAY #Shorts

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said Thursday she is stepping down as New Zealand’s leader and will not contest this year’s general elections.

RELATED: Jacinda Ardern to step down as New Zealand prime minister https://bit.ly/3GKkqHK

Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 will be her last day in office.

“I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. 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,” she said.

Ardern had faced a tough election campaign this year. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

» Subscribe to USA TODAY: http://bit.ly/1xa3XAh
» Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY: https://bit.ly/3QYKjbc
» USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.

#NewZealand #PrimeMinister #Politics