New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who presided over a nationwide gun control effort in 2019 following a terror attack in Christchurch, announced Thursday she is resigning from office between now and Feb. 7, according to several published reports, including CNN.
She was first elected in 2017 at the age of 37. At the time she was the youngest female leader of any government in the world, and one of only two world leaders to have given birth while in office.
The Christchurch attack claimed 51 lives when a killer, described as a “shite supremacist,” stormed two mosques, as recalled by USA Today. The attack was on a Friday during prayers, and led to a government ban on semiautomatic rifles. Police conducted a “buyback” that netted more than 50,000 firearms, and the move was hailed by gun prohibitionists who suggested the same thing should happen in the U.S.
The difference is that New Zealand does not have a Second Amendment to protect the right of its citizens to keep and bear arms. But like politicians on the political left in this country, Ardern and her colleagues penalized all gun owners in her country instead of focusing on the perpetrator of the crime.
Published reports say Ardern’s Labour Party has been losing momentum among voters. Her government, said USA Today, “faced criticism that it had been big on ideas but lacking on execution.”
Several stories indicate Ardern has simply been burned out by the job. The Daily Caller, for example, quoted her stating, “I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It’s that simple.
“I am human, politicians are human,” Ardern added. “We give all that we can for as long as we can. And then it’s time. And for me, it’s time.”
Now 42, she may not have been re-elected, some suggest, which may be another good reason to step down prior to the campaign season and the national election in October. Her successor will be named by the Labour Party.
