WELLINGTON (Reuters) – Chris Hipkins is the only candidate to succeed Jacinda Ardern to take over the reins of the Labor Party and New Zealand government, the centre-left party said in a statement on Saturday.
Chris Hipkins should be confirmed in his new role on Sunday by the Labor parliamentary group, which has 64 elected members.
First elected to Parliament as a Labor party in 2008, 44-year-old Chris Hipkins rose to national prominence after his appointment as Minister for COVID-19 Response in November 2020. He is also Minister of Police, Education, Public Services and the Head of Government Affairs in the House of Representatives.
The first woman to come to power in New Zealand in 2017, Jacinda Ardern announced Thursday that she would leave her post as Prime Minister in early February, explaining that she no longer “has the strength” to continue to lead the country and does not want to run for office. new mandate.
The new leader of the Labor Party will ensure the interim at the head of the government until the next legislative elections, scheduled for October 14.
(Report Lucy Craymer, French version Jean-Stéphane Brosse)
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