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WELLINGTON: New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said on Thursday (October 15) that she will resign as leader of the center-left Labor Party if opinion polls turn out to be wrong and she loses the general election on Saturday.
The prospect seems remote, with Labor enjoying a 15-point lead in the polls, but Ardern answered with a resounding “no” when asked during a televised debate whether he would remain as leader of the opposition if the vote did not turn out the way he did. wants.
The 40-year-old, who has led New Zealand through a series of crises in the past three years that culminated in the COVID-19 pandemic, said her commitment to work required sacrifice.
“I never take it for granted that I’m here. I give it my all,” he said.
“No matter what crisis comes my way, you will always be assured that I will give my all for this job, even if it means a great sacrifice.”
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Ardern said that even if she were not in parliament, she would still be involved in politics in some way, and said she wanted to bring about change and take the debate beyond name calling.
“I want our nation to not be completely polarized, and indeed relative to other countries, we do a good job of that,” he said.
A TVNZ poll released Thursday put Labor support at 46 percent, one point less than a month ago, but well ahead of the conservative National Party, which also fell one point to 31 percent.
Under New Zealand’s proportional voting system, Ardern would still need the support of a minor party to govern, but current coalition partner the Greens would easily pull her out of line, raising their support two points to 8 percent.
Ardern’s personal popularity as the preferred prime minister rose five points to 55 percent, while national leader Judith Collins fell three points to 20 percent.
READ: Facebook shuts down New Zealand party page ahead of COVID-19 misinformation polls
Ardern has framed the vote as “COVID’s choice” and its appeal is largely based on its success in fighting the virus, with just 25 deaths in New Zealand’s population of five million.
When asked what message he had for undecided voters, Ardern said New Zealanders needed a stable government and should “stand together in times of uncertainty” to work towards a rapid economic recovery.
“Yes, we have to handle the COVID crisis as it is, but we also have to look to the future, and all those challenges, environmental sustainability, training and so on,” he said.
Collins said his party was in the best position to steer the economy through a coronavirus-induced recession.
“I bring real business experience at a time of serious economic situation in which we are moving now, and the ability to make decisions,” he said.
