AUCKLAND, New Zealand: Chris Hipkins, New Zealand's incoming prime minister, vowed on Saturday to "get things done" and win a looming October general election after being chosen as his party's only candidate to replace Jacinda Ardern.
The 44-year-old redheaded politician emerged as the sole nominee to lead the ruling Labor Party in a meeting of fellow members of parliament (MPs), and now faces what is seen as the mere formality of a confirmation by his colleagues on Sunday.
As leader of the party, he will take over as the country's 41st prime minister following Ardern's shock resignation on Thursday. She said she would step down by February 7, but could do so earlier given that her successor was chosen in barely 48 hours.
"I like to think I am pretty decisive and I can get things done," said Hipkins, who became a household name for leading the nation's coronavirus crackdown for nearly two years.
With his party lagging in the opinion polls under criticism over rising prices, poverty and crime rates, reporters gathered outside parliament in Wellington asked if he could win general elections set for October 14.
"Yes," he replied.
delivered to your inbox
Ardern, a global figurehead for progressive politics, stunned New Zealand by announcing her abrupt exit from office, less than three years after securing a second term in a landslide election win.
The 42-year-old — who steered the country through natural disasters, the Covid-19 pandemic, and its worst-ever terror attack — said she no longer had "enough in the tank."
Ardern said her decision to step down was "tinged with sadness," but after having made the announcement she had "slept well for the first time in a long time."
Political commentators have lined up to condemn the social media abuse that was increasingly directed at Ardern before her resignation.
'Intolerable vitriol'
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)