New Zealand PM John Key announces shock resignation

New Zealand PM John Key announces shock resignation

December 06, 2016
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key waves to photographers during the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru, in this Nov. 20, 2016 file photo. — Reuters
New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key waves to photographers during the APEC Summit in Lima, Peru, in this Nov. 20, 2016 file photo. — Reuters





WELLINGTON — Popular New Zealand Prime Minister John Key announced his shock resignation on Monday, saying he was never a career politician and it was the right time to go after eight years in the job.

The former Merrill Lynch currency trader called it “the hardest decision I’ve ever made,” with no plans on what to do next other than spend more time with his family.

“Being leader of both the party and the country has been an incredible experience,” he told a regular weekly news conference.

“But despite the amazing career I have had in politics, I have never seen myself as a career politician.”

Key recently marked his eighth anniversary as prime minister and 10th year as leader of the center-right National Party, which is set to meet next week to elect his successor.

His deputy Bill English, who led the party to its worst result in the 2002 election, is widely seen as favorite to take over and was endorsed by Key, although he did not immediately confirm he wanted the role.

“Certainly, I wouldn’t stand if there wasn’t strong caucus support for me standing,” he said, adding that since the 2002 flop he had received “a master-class every day from John Key about how to do politics.”

As discussion about Key’s decision to walk away swirled around social media, the down-to-earth politician — once voted the leader most New Zealanders would love to have a beer with — insisted he was “not the kind of guy that has to hang on to power for power’s sake.”

Opinion polls had consistently pointed to him becoming the first political leader in New Zealand history to win four consecutive elections when the country votes next year, but he said records were not a consideration.
“If you’re staying for the record of the time you’re staying for the wrong reason,” he said.

“It’s been an incredible experience and it’s been a real privilege and I’m going to die happy — I hope that’s a long time in the future — but I’m going to feel really proud of what we’ve done,” he said.

Key came into politics relatively late, entering parliament in 2002 and assuming leadership of the National Party four years later.

By 2008 he had ended nine years of Labour Party rule, ousting then-prime minister Helen Clark.

He won plaudits for his leadership during a string of crises in his first term, including a devastating earthquake in Christchurch in February 2011 which claimed 185 lives.

The 55-year-old also steadied the economy after the global financial crisis without resorting to hardline spending cuts, instead taking a steady, pragmatic approach that saw the budget return to surplus in the 2015-16 financial year for the first time since 2008. — AFP


December 06, 2016
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