The New Zealand Labour Party has confirmed Chris Hipkins as the new prime minister of the Oceanic country after the formal vote was held on Sunday.
Chris Hipkins has received the unanimous support of the 64 MPs of his party and will be officially sworn in on January 25 to succeed the still Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern.
«I assume this position at a difficult time for New Zealanders,» said Hipkins at a press conference in Wellington after the vote of his party. «Covid-19 and the global pandemic created a health crisis, and now they have created an economic one, and that is where my government will focus,» he added.
«We will focus on the present and the basic issues that people are concerned about,» the Labor leader has said. «I know people are worried about paying the grocery bill and the mortgage. I want them to know that we are on their side,» said Hipkins in statements reported by the newspaper ‘The Guardian’.
In addition, Chris Hipkins mentioned his colleague Ardern, whose leadership has been defined as an «inspiration for women and girls around the world» and condemned the misogynistic attacks suffered by the prime minister.
«It (her tenure) has also been a reminder that we have a long way to go to ensure that women in leadership positions receive the same respect as their male counterparts,» he said.
«The way Jacinda has been treated, particularly by some segments of our society – and they are a small minority – has been utterly abhorrent,» Hipkins has stressed.
In addition, the new prime minister made a strong appeal to the «responsibility of men to speak out» to denounce this type of situation.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
