“Of course I feel sad – but I also have a sense of relief,” she told reporters on Friday.
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, who announced yesterday that she will leave office next month, said on Friday that “for the first time in a long time” she slept peacefully.
“Of course I feel sad – but I also have a sense of relief,” she told reporters outside Hawke’s Bay Airport. As she said she feels a range of emotions, however she emphasized that she does not regret leaving her position.
Yesterday, Thursday, the Prime Minister maintained that political abuse and threats to her and her family were not a determining factor in her decision to resign as some have been quick to say but that she simply “didn’t [είχε] already enough energy that her role requires”.
Prominent New Zealand political leaders and public figures, however, say her “constant insults”, political abuse and personal attacks contributed to the decision – with some MPs saying the prime minister was “chased out of office”.
Former prime minister Ellen Clarke, New Zealand’s first female elected leader, said Ardern had faced “unprecedented” attacks during her tenure.
In announcing her resignation on Thursday, Ardern was asked how threats to her security contributed to her decision. “Has impact. We are human after all, but that was not the basis of my decision,” he said.
“I am human, politicians are human. We give what we can for as long as we can. And then it was time. And for me, the time has come,” he said.
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