New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, whose popularity has been drastically falling after she imposed severe, totalitarian COVID restrictions in her country, announced on Thursday that she will be resigning from her position ahead of the upcoming elections.
At a news conference, Ardern announced that she will be ending her term by February 7, when a new prime minister will be sworn into office.
🚨BREAKING: New Zealand PM Jacinda Ardern has resigned.
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) January 19, 2023
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“I am entering now my sixth year in office, and for each of those years, I have given my absolute all,” Ardern said.
“The decision was my own,” continued Ardern. “Leading a country is the most privileged job anyone could ever have, but also the most challenging. You cannot and should not do the job unless you have a full tank, plus a bit in reserve for those unplanned and unexpected challenges.”
“I’m leaving, because with such a privileged role comes responsibility. The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not. I know what this job takes. And I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.”
Becoming prime minister in 2017 at the age of 37, Ardern was a largely popular candidate. However, she lost much of her support due to her dictatorship-style handling of the COVID pandemic. During this period, she imposed some of the world’s strictest lockdown rules, forcing the separation of families and banning nearly all foreigners for about two years.
🧵/🚨BREAKING — New Zealand leader Jacinda Ardern to resign before upcoming election
She’s leaves behind a legacy of lockdowns, and segregation based on COVID vaccination status. pic.twitter.com/YfCerheFI0
— James Cintolo, RN FN CPT (@healthbyjames) January 19, 2023
In August 2021, Ardern ordered the entire country to enter into a strict lockdown after a single case of coronavirus was detected in the country, the first case New Zealand had in six months.
In October 2021, Ardern declared that there are two different classes of people in New Zealand: those who are vaccinated and have rights, and those who are not vaccinated and thus do not have rights.
The following month, she implemented a “no jab, no job” policy. It was ruled that healthcare workers and teachers must be vaccinated in order to keep their jobs. Schools were even ordered to call the police on unvaccinated staff members if they showed up to work.
These totalitarian restrictions caused massive protests to break out across the country.
Congratulations to all the New Zealanders that fought against Jacinda Ardern’s dictatorship… she will resign as the most unpopular leader in modern history
RESIST 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/CLNey16iYH
— Pelham (@Resist_05) January 19, 2023
Scottish TV presenter and writer Gillian McKeith tweeted a video after Ardern’s resignation announcement that highlighted her hypocritical, coercive tactics that caused her citizens great pain and suffering.
“Never forget what testing positive for tyrannical fascism […] did to the people of [New Zealand],” McKeith wrote. “She used COERCION at the highest level regardless of the consequences…”
Never forget what testing positive for tyrannical fascism #jacindaardern did to the people of #newzealand. She used COERCION at the highest level regardless of the consequences…pic.twitter.com/qN6KxYewMO
— Gillian McKeith (@GillianMcKeith) January 19, 2023
Following the resignation announcement, Scottish political writer James Melville tweeted another video of Ardern telling her nation that, unless they get the information directly from her and her government, it is not true.
“We will continue to be your single source of truth,” Ardern said, insisting that people should solely get their information from the government website and “dismiss anything else.”
Jacinda Ardern resigns. Goodbye to her Orwellian rhetoric.
“We will continue to be your single source of truth…Unless you hear it from us it is not the truth.”pic.twitter.com/yEIPdbRPEO
— James Melville (@JamesMelville) January 19, 2023
Fox News’s Tucker Carlson shared a series of videos of Ardern’s shocking actions during the pandemic, calling her the “most authoritarian leader” New Zealand has ever had.
WATCH:
🚨BREAKING🚨New Zealand’s Authoritarian PM Jacinda Ardern has resigned. #lockdownqueen #goodriddance #PureEvil 🖤 pic.twitter.com/VkSwkFbLYP
— 100% FED UP! (@100PercFEDUP) January 19, 2023