New Zealand Ardern
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Arden, who was one of the first members of her generation elected as a national leader and became a global icon of the left, said Thursday she was leaving office after five and a half years. Fighting tears, Ardern said she had “given my absolute all” to the job but didn’t have the “gas in the tank” needed to serve another term. Feb. 7 will be her last day as prime minister. She’ll remain a lawmaker until the elections, which she said would be held Oct. 14. Ardern was facing a tough campaign. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection in 2020 with a historic landslide, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.
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