The Prime Minister of New Zealand, jacinda ardernshe ignited the controversy after the private microphone of her chair caught her he insulted an opposition deputy in Parliament. “He’s such an arrogant idiot“was heard over the loudspeakers.

In the midst of the controversy, he wrote a private text message apologizing to the lawmaker David Seymourof the liberal ACT New Zealand party, which received the insult after his speech in the parliamentary seat of Wellington.

As Seymour told local media, Ardern told him “I’m sorry,” He acknowledged that he “shouldn’t have said that” and closed: “As my mother would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it.” Meanwhile, she revealed that she had replied by wishing him a Merry Christmas and making it clear that the matter had already been resolved.

“Everything is fine as far as I’m concerned. Some days I’m a useless Maori, other days I’m an arrogant jerk. The excuses we’re really looking for are New Zealanders worried about price hikes and ram attacks,” he added. .

In the speech preceding the complaint, the deputy, of neoliberal ideology, questioned Ardern on inflation and crime in the country, then challenging her to underline at least once when the government was wrong, that it recognized and did something to fix it.

For his part, the Labor prime minister replied that his government was not perfect, but that he made decisions with the common good in mind. When he sat down, he commented in a low voice to a colleague from his desk that the deputy was a “arrogant asshole(“arrogant jerk”) and his microphone picked up the words.

“She couldn’t answer the question, which probably explains why she was a little nervous.… The great irony is that now he has to apologize for something. So this is progress. I just wish he’d apologize for a few more things,” Seymour said.

ACT New Zealand, which advocates lower taxes, a strong hand on crime and opposes policies against the climate crisis, polled more than 219,000 votes (7.58%) in the 2020 election, a big jump from the 13,075 votes polled in 2017.

Under Ardern’s leadership, the Progressive Labor Party won the 2017 election with a simple majority and then won an overall majority in 2020, winning 65 of the 120 Members of Parliament.

With information from EFE.