New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern's announcement that she would step down as the country's leader by February shocked many of her constituents and leaders around the world.
"I'm leaving, because with such a privileged role comes responsibility," the 42-year-old Ardern said in her announcement on Thursday local time. "The responsibility to know when you are the right person to lead and also when you are not. 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."
Jennifer Lees-Marshment, an associate professor of politics and international relations at the University of Auckland, told NPR she was surprised by Ardern's sudden resignation.
"I did not expect it to happen, because it is rare that politicians are that strategic and selfless," she said.
It's particularly hard to imagine a politician resigning in the U.S. as Ardern did: likely to win re-election and still being respected globally, according to Joshua Kurlantzick, senior fellow for Southeast Asia at the Council on Foreign Relations.
There's something other global leaders should take from this moment of gracefully bowing out while keeping reputations largely intact, experts told NPR.
"Ardern stepping down before she was pushed by colleagues or lost an election may make leaders in other countries wonder if they should leave also," Lees-Marshment said. "Most leaders are embattled due to the long-term impact of the pandemic and associated lockdowns, and the cost of living crisis. Historically leaders have waited to be pushed