He named Chris Hipkins as the next Prime Minister

I’The party announced on Friday, January 20 in a communique, that former New Zealand official to combat the Covid-19 epidemic, Chris Hipkins, 44, was nominated by Labor MPs to replace Jacinda Ardern as Prime Minister. He still has to be formally appointed on Sunday by his party leadership before he turns 41^H Prime Minister of his country, after the sudden resignation of Jacinda Ardern Thursday.

The new prime minister will be responsible for leading his party into the general elections in October, for which he is not the candidate, according to opinion polls. Chris Hipkins’ work at the helm of the ministry responsible for developing the response to the pandemic has been welcomed, in a country that closed its borders to reduce the risk of infection, only reopening them last August.

Having more than 14 years of experience in parliament, he admitted last year that people were tired of tough restrictions against the pandemic, describing border closures as “difficult”. Minister of the Interior since last June, he previously held the portfolios of education and public services.

Tired, Jacinda Ardern threw in the towel

Jacinda Ardern, 42, resigned on Thursday, claiming that “you no longer have enough energy” to continue ruling after five and a half years in power. During her tenure, she faced the Covid-19 pandemic, a deadly volcanic eruption and the country’s worst ever attack, the killing of 51 Muslim worshipers at two Christchurch mosques by a white supremacist in 2019.

Jacinda Ardern said her decision to step down was “tinged with sadness”, but after her announcement she “slept well for the first time in a long time”. Political commentators jointly condemned inappropriate comments on social media targeting the prime minister ahead of her resignation.

Jacinda Ardern suffered an “absolutely unbearable vitriol,” asserted her successor, who paid tribute to “the leader we needed, when we needed her.”

“An essential piece of failed government”

For his part, Christopher Luxon, the leader of the main opposition party in the country, the National Party (center-right), congratulated Chris Hipkins, saying that “changing the leadership of the Labor Party alone does not mean[était] Not enough for the people of New Zealand. “The truth is that he was a key piece of a government that failed to do anything,” he said.

The appointment of Chris Hipkins also ended speculation that Justice Minister Kerry Allan could have become the first Maori to govern New Zealand. The latter congratulated Chris Hipkins, saying he would make an “incredibly strong Prime Minister”.

Chris Hipkins has been hailed for almost two years as the minister responsible for combating Covid-19 in a country that closed its borders to stave off the pandemic and only reopened them in August 2022. He describes himself as an “outdoors enthusiast” who is an aficionado of mountain biking, hiking and swimming.

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