The original content of Democracy Now! Headlines appears under the Creative
Commons BY-NC-ND 3.0 License (United States). For more, including their other
shows and media, visit www.democracynow.org.
January 19, 2023

Jacinda Ardern Will Not Seek Reelection as New Zealand's Prime Minister
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced she will not
seek reelection and will step down next month after more than five years
in office.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern: "I know what this job takes, and I know
that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It's that
simple."

Ardern drew international praise for her handling of the COVID-19
pandemic, after her government stamped out the coronavirus for months
until vaccines became widely available. She also drew praise for her
compassionate response to a white supremacist attack in 2019 that killed
51 people at two mosques in the city of Christchurch. Shortly after
those attacks, Ardern led a successful campaign to ban military-style
semiautomatic and assault rifles.


.