Incoming New Zealand Prime Minister Higgins has defended former Prime Minister Ardern’s “abhorrent” threats and vowed to protect his family. Jacinda Ardern resigned without warning on the 19th, and New Zealand’s ruling Labor Party elected 44-year-old Chris Hipkins as party leader on the 22nd, becoming New Zealand’s 41st prime minister. Higgins is Labor’s sole nominee.
The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) reported that Ardern has received more and more threats in recent years, including a man who posted a video on YouTube claiming the right to “shoot the prime minister” for treason.
Speaking after receiving a unanimous vote from party members on the 22nd, Higgins said there was a “small group of New Zealanders” who were responsible for bullying Ardern. He added that such behavior “does not represent our country as a whole”.
He added that men have a responsibility to eliminate misogyny.
Higgins said he understood that being a leader meant he became “public property”, but his family did not, and he wanted his children to have a “normal New Zealand childhood”.
According to data released in June last year, the threats received by Ardern in the past three years have almost tripled. According to local media reports, at least eight threats against Ardern have entered the legal system, including the aforementioned YouTube video. The man who posted the threatening video.
In January 2022, several homes received handwritten leaflets threatening to “get rid of” Ardern, and the police also launched an investigation into this.
Radio New Zealand (Radio New Zealand) interviewed former intelligence officer Paul Buchanan, who believes Ardern needs more security and protection than any previous New Zealand prime minister.
Higgins told various media on Monday after being elected prime minister that his government would “quickly” reassess its policy priorities and see whether current policies needed to be scaled back, Reuters reported.
Higgins said the government would again focus on people’s livelihood issues, including inflation, among other policies, but he did not elaborate.
With the ruling Labor Party lagging behind the opposition, New Zealand expected to fall into recession next quarter and a general election to be held on October 14, Higgins will have a tough battle to fight, but he remains optimistic.
“I’m optimistic, I have a lot of support and I think New Zealand has given me a fair chance,” he said.
Labor is pushing a raft of policies that are unpopular or considered too expensive by many voters, including proposals to merge state-owned radio and television stations and overhaul the ownership of water infrastructure.
After Ardern officially resigned, Higgins is expected to be sworn in as prime minister on the 25th.
