New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern made a shocking announcement Thursday that she will resign from her role 10 months before her term ends.
The Labour Party leader broke the news at the party’s annual caucus meeting while holding back tears. Ardern admitted she doesn’t have the energy to continue in the role past Feb. 7 despite previously announcing her intentions to run for a third term.
“I’m 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,” she said.
“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 said she had spent her summer break contemplating whether she had the energy to continue leading the office, but ultimately concluded she did not.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced she would resign from her post on Feb. 7. Getty Images
Ardern said she wanted to be present for her 4-year-old daughter. Getty ImagesThe politician, 42, said she wants to be present when her 4-year-old daughter, Neve, begins school next year.
“To Clarke, let’s finally get married,” Ardern told her partner, ABC News reported.
After being elected in 2017 at age 37, Ardern led New Zealand through the COVID-19 pandemic, the terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch and the White Island volcanic eruption. She was re-elected in 2020, and her term was set to end at the end of this year.
Ardern said she made her decision over summer break. Getty Images
Ardern, pictured with her partner Clarke, admitted she doesn’t have the energy to continue in the role past Feb. 7 BEN MCKAY/EPA-EFE/ShutterstockArdern was not situated well to win re-election in October, however. The Ardern-led Labour Party has been slightly trailing behind the opposition National Party for several months, the Guardian reported.
Last month, Ardern was caught on a hot mic calling her political rival, libertarian ACT party leader David Seymour, an “arrogant pr—.”






