Hipkins became prime minister vowing to focus on the economy

A new mandate in New Zealand with the challenge of meeting expectations after Jacinda Ardern’s popular government.

Labor leader Chris Hipkins, 44, was sworn in as the country’s new prime minister on January 25 in an official ceremony at Government House in Wellington. Carmel Zebuloni was sworn in as Deputy Prime Minister.

“This is the greatest privilege and responsibility of my life (…) and I am encouraged by the challenges ahead,” the incoming prime minister said a week after his predecessor’s announcement. A new reign.

Although the ruling party’s popularity has waned in recent months, the former leader of the administration has set a very high bar for his actions against the Covid-19 pandemic and his response to the twin attacks in Christchurch that killed 50 people. 2019.

Hipkins only rose to fame after two years as minister responsible for health emergencies, although he also served as education minister.

Asked about the nation’s economy after his first cabinet meeting, Hipkins indicated that tackling the rising cost of living was at the top of his agenda. His comments came hours after fresh price data came in above analyst forecasts.

However, the new prime minister has yet to announce concrete steps to be taken in this regard.

“New Zealanders will see that cost of living is right at the center of our work agenda in the coming weeks and months (…) It’s the number one priority we face as a government, and they’ll see solid evidence of that. As I’ve already mentioned, I’m not going to figure it out on the fly,” he insisted.

Hipkins hopes to retain power in the next general election

Despite the accolades, the new prime minister has admitted some missteps in her handling of the pandemic and faces an uphill battle to retain power in next October’s general election.

A survey by local media outlet ‘1News-Gander’ published last December showed that support for the Labor Party has dropped to 33%, after the 40% recorded at the start of 2022. Traditional coalition partner the Green Party has 9% support, while the opposition National Party has benefited from Labour’s decline.

Liberal politicians have long been in the shadow of Ardern, who has become a global icon of the left and exemplifies a new leadership style.

Ardern plans to serve as a second-term legislator until April to avoid triggering a special election before the general election.

The former prime minister announced his resignation last week After six years of great challenges, the timing is right.

With Reuters and EFE