“I never take it for granted that I’m here,” said Jacinda Ardern
WELLINGTON:
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that she would step down as leader of the center-left Labor Party if the opinion polls prove false and she loses Saturday’s general election.
The prospect seems distant, with Labor enjoying a 15-point lead in the polls, but Ardern responded with a firm ‘no’ when asked in a televised debate whether she would remain leader of the opposition if the vote did not go in his direction.
The 40-year-old woman, who has led New Zealand through a series of crises over the past three years, culminating with the Covid-19 pandemic, said her commitment to the post has required sacrifices.
“I never take it for granted that I’m here. I give everything for myself, ”she says.
“No matter what crisis comes before me, you will always be assured that I will give my all for this job, even if it means a huge sacrifice.”
Ardern said that even if she wasn’t in parliament, she would still be involved in politics in some capacity, saying she wanted to make a change and take the debate beyond deafening insults.
“I want our nation not to be completely polarized, and in fact, compared to other countries, we are doing a very good job on this,” she said.
A TVNZ poll released Thursday put Labor support at 46%, down one point a month ago, but well ahead of the National Conservative Party, which also slipped one point to 31%.
In New Zealand’s proportional voting system, Ardern would still need the support of a small party to rule, but the current coalition partner, the Greens, would easily push it across the line, taking its support from two points to eight percent.
Ardern’s personal popularity as the preferred prime minister rose five points to 55%, while national leader Judith Collins fell three points to 20%.
Ardern has called the poll the “Covid election” and his call rests largely on his success in tackling the virus, with just 25 deaths in New Zealand’s population of five million.
Asked about the message she sent to undecided voters, Ms Ardern said New Zealanders need a stable government and should “stand united in uncertain times” to work for a rapid economic recovery.
“Yes, we have to deal with the covid crisis as it is, but we also have to look to the future and all these challenges, environmental sustainability, training, etc.,” she said.
Collins said his party was in the best position to lead the economy through a coronavirus-induced recession.
“I bring real business experience at a time of dire economic situation that we are now heading into, and the ability to make decisions,” she said.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
