New Zealand's Prime Minister to Resign
2023-01-20
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1New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she plans to step down.
2Ardern was 37 years old when she became the head of the government of the southern Pacific island nation and U.S. ally.
3The Labour Party politician will have served five and one half years when she officially leaves power.
4Many observers say she was an example of a new kind of leadership.
5However, more recently, Ardern has faced increasing political pressure to step down.
6The prime minister told reporters in Napier that her last day in office would be February 7.
7She said: "I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple."
8Labour Party lawmakers will vote for a new leader on Sunday. New elections are to take place on October 14.
9Ardern became prime minister in 2017. She was a generation younger than other world leaders.
10She became the second world leader to give birth while in office. Her life partner is Clarke Gayford.
11She won praise for the way she dealt with a mass shooting in March 2019.
12A gunman attacked a Muslim religious center in Christchurch, killing 51 people.
13Ardern and her Labour Party then pushed through parliament a law banning most semiautomatic guns.
14Police bought back more than 50,000 guns from New Zelanders under a government program.
15About nine months after the shooting, 22 foreign visitors and local guides were killed in a volcanic explosion on White Island.
16Early in the COVID-19 world health crisis, Ardern won praise from many for the way she dealt with public health.
17Her government ordered lockdowns and severe measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
18However, by 2021 the prime minister was forced to ease the zero-tolerance policy.
19Highly infectious versions of the virus had spread around the world by that time.
20Demonstrations against government vaccination requirements began in 2022, continued several weeks and ended with fighting between protesters and police.
21The Royal Commission of Inquiry is expected to present a report on the government's COVID-19 policies next year.
22Ardern supported legislation aiming to require New Zealand to produce net-zero carbon gasses.
23But farmers opposed proposed taxes and other measures aimed at preventing the release of carbon gasses at farms.
24In 2020, her Labour Party gained the most seats in parliament.
25But, current public opinion studies show her party has less support than the conservative opposition.
26Ardern said: "I am not leaving because it was hard."
27But she added that her position involved the responsibility "to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not."
28Her supporters blamed angry people for opposition to her leadership.
29Actor Sam Neill said on Twitter: "Her treatment...in the last few months has been disgraceful and embarrassing."
30But Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said she "has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength."
31Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Ardern for her friendship and "empathic" leadership.
32Ardern was first elected to parliament in 2008.
33Before joining government, she was a policy expert for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth.
34I'm Mario Ritter, Jr.
1New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she plans to step down. 2Ardern was 37 years old when she became the head of the government of the southern Pacific island nation and U.S. ally. The Labour Party politician will have served five and one half years when she officially leaves power. 3Many observers say she was an example of a new kind of leadership. However, more recently, Ardern has faced increasing political pressure to step down. 4The prime minister told reporters in Napier that her last day in office would be February 7. She said: "I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple." 5Labour Party lawmakers will vote for a new leader on Sunday. New elections are to take place on October 14. 6Ardern became prime minister in 2017. She was a generation younger than other world leaders. She became the second world leader to give birth while in office. Her life partner is Clarke Gayford. 7She won praise for the way she dealt with a mass shooting in March 2019. A gunman attacked a Muslim religious center in Christchurch, killing 51 people. Ardern and her Labour Party then pushed through parliament a law banning most semiautomatic guns. Police bought back more than 50,000 guns from New Zelanders under a government program. 8About nine months after the shooting, 22 foreign visitors and local guides were killed in a volcanic explosion on White Island. 9Early in the COVID-19 world health crisis, Ardern won praise from many for the way she dealt with public health. Her government ordered lockdowns and severe measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. However, by 2021 the prime minister was forced to ease the zero-tolerance policy. Highly infectious versions of the virus had spread around the world by that time. 10Demonstrations against government vaccination requirements began in 2022, continued several weeks and ended with fighting between protesters and police. The Royal Commission of Inquiry is expected to present a report on the government's COVID-19 policies next year. 11Ardern supported legislation aiming to require New Zealand to produce net-zero carbon gasses. But farmers opposed proposed taxes and other measures aimed at preventing the release of carbon gasses at farms. 12In 2020, her Labour Party gained the most seats in parliament. But, current public opinion studies show her party has less support than the conservative opposition. 13Ardern said: "I am not leaving because it was hard." But she added that her position involved the responsibility "to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not." 14Her supporters blamed angry people for opposition to her leadership. Actor Sam Neill said on Twitter: "Her treatment...in the last few months has been disgraceful and embarrassing." 15But Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said she "has shown the world how to lead with intellect and strength." 16Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau thanked Ardern for her friendship and "empathic" leadership. 17Ardern was first elected to parliament in 2008. Before joining government, she was a policy expert for former British Prime Minister Tony Blair and was elected president of the International Union of Socialist Youth. 18I'm Mario Ritter, Jr. 19Nick Perry reported this story for the Associated Press. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English with additional sources. 20___________________________________________________________________ 21Words in This Story 22enough in the tank -idiom meaning that a person might not have the energy to continue in an activity 23semiautomatic -adj. of a firearm : able to fire repeatedly through an automatic reloading process but requiring release and another pressure of the trigger for each successive shot 24zero-tolerance -adj. to use the strongest measures to punish or prevent something 25net-zero -adj. describing a system in which what is released is exactly balanced by what is taken in 26intellect -n. the power of knowing; the capacity for thought especially when highly developed 27empathic (empathetic) -adj. the quality of projecting one's own personality onto other people in an effort to understand them better 28___________________________________________________________________ 29We want to hear from you. 30We have a new comment system. Here is how it works: 31Each time you return to comment on the Learning English site, you can use your account and see your comments and replies to them. Our comment policy is here.