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New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern declared in a broadcast announcement on Thursday that she will not run for re-election and will stand down no later than early February.
She stated that a general election would be conducted on October 14.
“This summer, I had hoped to find a way to prepare for not just another year, but another term — because that is what this year requires,” a visibly emotional Ardern said during the statement. “I have not been able to do that.”
Ardern’s tenure will end on February 7.
Ardern stated that she believes the New Zealand Labour Party will win the forthcoming election and that a vote to select the new Labour leader will take place on Sunday.
Grant Robertson, New Zealand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, announced in a statement that he will not run for Labour Party leader.