New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has announced that she will resign last on 7 February. Ardern has governed the country since 2017.
Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday that in recent months she has been trying to find enough motivation for another term as prime minister but has concluded that she is not up to it.
"I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice," said Jacinda Ardern during a meeting with Labor members.
She also said that she would resign as Prime Minister by 7 February and added that the Labor Party would vote for a new leader on 22 January.
The Arder also announced that elections will be held in New Zealand on 14 October and that she will continue as a Member of Parliament until then.
It is still unclear who is taking over as Prime Minister until the elections; Deputy Prime Minister Grant Robertson has announced that he is not running for Labor Party leadership.
Jacinda Ardern also said that there were no hidden reasons or secrets about why she now chooses to resign.
"Iβm leaving, because with such a privileged role comes responsibility β the responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not," said Jacinda Ardern.
Ardern, who became Prime Minister of a coalition government in 2017 and then led her Labor to a convincing victory in an election three years later, has recently seen both the party's and her own popularity decline in opinion polls.