WELLINGTON, New Zealand (NEWSnet/AP) — New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced on Thursday that she is stepping down as the country's leader and will not run again in this year's general election.

Ardern told reporters that Feb. 7 would be her last day as prime minister after five and a half years in office.

“I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice. It is that simple,” she said.

The Labour Party won reelection in 2020 with a landslide of historic proportions, but recent polls have put her party behind its conservative rivals.

Ardern was globally praised for her country’s initial handling of the coronavirus pandemic after New Zealand managed to stop the virus at its borders for months.

She however at home faced heavy criticism for her strict strategies.

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