Wellington , Jan 21: Chris Hipkins, New Zealand’s incumbent minister for police, education and public service, is set to replace Jacinda Ardern as the country’s next Prime Minister following the latter’s surprise announcement to step down next month. Hipkins is currently the only nominee for the Labour leadership and will still need to be formally endorsed by the party in the House of Representatives on Sunday before he can assume the top post, the BBC reported on Saturday.
If he receives the endorsement, Ardern will formally tender her resignation to the Governor-General on February 7, who will then on behalf of King Charles III appoint Hipkins as Prime Minister.
Hipkins, 44, was first elected to Parliament in 2008 and appointed minister for Covid-19 in November 2020. During her resignation announcement on Thursday, Ardern said she did not have “enough in the tank” to lead and added that the past five-and-a-half years had been the “most fulfilling” of her life. (IANS)
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