(VOVWORLD) - Chris Hipkins was formally sworn in as New Zealand's prime minister in a ceremony on Wednesday following the unexpected resignation last week of Jacinda Ardern.
 New Zealand's new Prime Minister Chris Hipkins. (Photo: CNN) |
"This is the biggest privilege and responsibility of my life,'' Hipkins said at his first press conference after the ceremony.
Hipkins, 44, rose to public prominence during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he took on a kind of crisis management role.
Jacinda Ardern said last Thursday that she no longer had “enough in the tank” to do justice to the job and that she would not seek re-election in October.
Observers said that the biggest task of the new Prime Minister is to restore support for the government that is dwindling ahead of the upcoming general election.