The Minister of Education of New Zeland, Chris Hipkinsit will be the new one Prime Minister of the country instead of jacinda ardernwho tendered his resignation on Thursday and will officially leave office on February 7, the Labor Party said in a statement.
The head of Labor Party he stressed in a statement that the political party assembly would meet on Sunday to back Hipkins’ leadership, according to local media NZ Herald and Europa Press news agency.
Although the only candidate was Hipkins, other possibilities were also considered, such as the Minister of Justice, Kiri Allan, or the Minister of Transport, Michael Wood.
The 44-year-old officer, who has also held the Police portfolio since last June, is a trusted man of Ardern and has become known following his position in the coronavirus response portfolio, which has embroiled him in some controversy.
Indeed, the Labor MP, MP since 2008, apologized and admitted that he had disclosed personal and incorrect information about the then journalist Charlotte Bellis, of the Al Jazeera channel, who had to give birth in Afghanistan because she was unable to return to La Nuova Zealand before the measures against Covid-19.
Ardern, 42, considered a promising political figure, surprised by announcing his resignation less than three years after his reappointment.
The president, who has had to deal with the Covid-19 pandemic and the worst terrorist attack in the country’s history, said she had “no energy” to continue and wanted to devote herself to caring for her daughter, who was born shortly after her arrival in the Cape of the government, in 2017.
“I slept well for the first time in a long time. But I’m in a rush of emotions. I feel sad, but I also have a sense of relief,” Ardern admitted this Friday in press statements.
She also said she was overwhelmed by the responses she received from international and New Zealand leaders who regretted her departure.
Now Hipkins will be challenged to keep the party at the popularity level Ardern set it for in 2017, after more than a decade of National Party leadership.
The president has managed to win popular consent with her charisma and empathy, despite the wear and tear suffered in recent months by economic variables such as inflation, but also for her strategy in the pandemic, initially widely praised but then punished for having extended too long health restrictions.
With information from agencies
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Source: Clarin
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.