New Delhi: Congress leader Jairam Ramesh Thursday hailed New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who has announced that she is stepping down as her country's leader, and said that "Indian politics needs more like her".
Taking to Twitter, Ramesh said, "Legendary cricket commentator, Vijay Merchant once said about retiring at the peak of his career: Go when people ask why is he going instead of why isn't he going. "Kiwi PM, Jacinda Ardern has just said she is quitting following Merchant's maxim. Indian politics needs more like her," he added.
Ardern told reporters in Napier that February 7 will be her last day in office. She will hold her seat as a lawmaker until the general election, which she said would be held on October 14. Ardern announced that she would step down from the top job no later than February 7, reported DW News. "Jacinda Ardern says she will not be seeking re-election this year and her last day as prime minister is 7 February. The 2023 general election will take place on 14 October," tweeted RNZ, New Zealand's public broadcaster.
Also read: Jacinda Ardern to step down as New Zealand Prime Minister, sets October election
She said her Government had achieved a lot and she was not standing down because she did not believe Labour could win the next election, but because she thought it could. Speaking to the media, Ardern said there was no special "angle" or "real reason" why she wanted to resign, only that she was "human". "To Neve, mum is looking forward to being there when you start school next year. To Clarke, let's finally get married," she added.
"This has been the most fulfilling five and a half years of my life," Ardern said in a televised press conference, according to local news site NZ Herald. Ardern's Labour Party will begin looking for a successor with a caucus vote on Saturday. The shocking decision from Ardern comes after five and a half years of tenure leading New Zealand through the coronavirus pandemic. Ardern's empathetic handling of the nation's worst mass-shooting and health-driven response to the coronavirus pandemic led her to become an international icon but she has faced mounting criticism at home.
