JACINDA ARDERN RESIGNS AS NZ PM

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has resigned.

The 42-year-old held back tears as she announced her resignation during a televised news conference.

“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple.”

Ardern became Prime Minister in 2017 and during his six years as the head of the country’s political arena, she faced some of the country’s toughest hurdles ever.

In 2019 a white supremacist gunman killed 51 people after he stormed two mosques in the city of Christchurch.

Sky News reports that she was widely praised for the way she embraced the survivors and New Zealand’s Muslim community in the aftermath.

The Prime Minister will also be remembered for her strict measures during the pandemic. Although the country had one of the lowest numbers of fatalities, the economy took a massive hit as the country’s borders were closed for months on end. When it finally opened, it ended one of the longest lockdowns in the world.

At the age of 37, she became the world’s youngest female head of government. She was also the world’s second elected head of government to give birth while in office.

Ardern has confirmed that she won’t be available for re-election and her last day in office will be on 7 February. A general election has been called for 14 October.

Image credit: DW