1: chris hipkins is set to replace jacinda ardern as prime minister of new zealand after becoming the only nominee for the labour party’s leadership. ms ardern announced her resignation on thursday, citing that she did not have “enough in the tank” to continue leading. mr hipkins is currently minister for police, education and public service and will still need to be formally endorsed by new zealand’s labour caucus on sunday.
2: the resignation announcement was made on thursday and the labour party will formally endorse mr hipkins on sunday. new zealand holds a general election in october, and mr hipkins will face an uphill battle if he wants to remain in the top job after the 2023 election. ms ardern became the youngest female head of government in the world when she took office in 2017.
3: the reaction to ms ardern’s resignation announcement was mixed. opinion polls showed her popularity and public approval of the country’s labour party were at all-time lows, and some suggested she was “running away before getting thrown out”. others described her as “one of the greatest prime ministers in new zealand’s history”. ms ardern said leading the country during “crisis” had been difficult, citing the covid pandemic, christchurch mosque shootings and white island volcanic eruption, but said the past five-and-a-half years had been the “most fulfilling” of her life.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-64355484?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=KARANGA
