There is only one candidate to replace Jacinda Ardern, who has resigned, at the head of New Zealand’s Labor Party and government. Chris Hipkins, 44 and previously Secretary of State for Education, Police and Public Administration, is due to be confirmed by his 64 colleagues in the Labor Group (of which he is leader) this Sunday. Only then will Ardern officially step down and appoint Hipkins as his successor.
Hipkins was a regular in the New Zealand news when he was hired by Ardern to spearhead the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. New Zealand, similar to neighboring Australia, followed a “Covid Zero” strategy that lasted until mid-2021, when the arrival of more transmissible variants forced the government to adopt more flexible measures and accelerate vaccination. 2,439 people have officially died from the virus in New Zealand.
The only poll following Ardern’s surprise resignation on Thursday showed that Hipkins was already the narrow favorite to succeed the outgoing prime minister. Should he be finally confirmed, it will be all the more difficult to win the parliamentary elections in October. Labour, which three years ago won its first outright majority since a new electoral system was introduced in 1996, is now five and a half points behind the Conservative National Party.
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