This summer I had hoped to find a way to prepare not just for another year, but another

tomb, because that is what this year requires. I have not been able to do that.

And so today I'm announcing that I will not be seeking re-election.

New Zealand's Prime Minister just said to Ardern shocked the world last week when she resigned.

She said that after more than five years in office, she was just burnt out.

I know what this job takes, and I know that I no longer have enough in the tank to do it justice.

It's that simple.

Ardern's actions as Prime Minister often got international attention.

She enacted tough gun restrictions after a mass killing in 2019,

and she implemented a strict pandemic lockdown that kept coronavirus infections low.

Her leadership style became known as the politics of kindness.

She was a prominent head of government in the Western world, a feminist icon, to a certain extent,

and a political figure of unusual honesty, empathy, and charisma.

Ishaan Therore is a foreign affairs columnist for the post.

He says Ardern was also unusually forthright about her identity as a woman and working parent.

When she came to power, she was 37 years old, and therefore one of the youngest world leaders.

And then she went on a year later to give birth in office, making her only the second head of state or government to give birth in the modern era.

From the newsroom of the Washington Post, this is Post Reports.

I'm your guest host, Kim Bellware.

It's Thursday, January 26.

Today, the legacy just sent to Ardern leaves behind both the New Zealand and abroad.

I want to talk about Ardern's actions as Prime Minister, but first, what made her such a prominent head of government

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