Jacinda Ardern to step down as New Zealand prime minister

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern says she will not contest this year’s general elections

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that she will not contest this year’s general elections.

Fighting back tears, Ardern told reporters in Napier that Feb. 7 will be her last day as the country’s leader.

“I am not leaving because it was hard. Had that been the case I probably would have departed two months into the job. I am leaving because with such a privileged role, comes responsibility, the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead, and also, when you are not. 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,” she said.

Ardern faced a tough election campaign this year. Her liberal Labour Party won reelection two years ago in a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.