Just three weeks after her clear election victory, New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern was sworn in for a second term today.
Shortly before, the 40-year-old had stated that the most important goals of her government were now to revive the economy and protect New Zealanders from the CoV pandemic. Ardern’s successful fight against the virus had, among other things, contributed to her clear election success.
The island nation in the South Pacific has so far got through the crisis very lightly thanks to strict measures and has so far registered fewer than 2,000 infections. 25 people have died in connection with Covid-19. In October, New Zealand declared the virus defeated for the second time. The country has now returned to relative normalcy. Even sporting events in fully occupied stadiums are possible again.
So that it stays that way, there is a new department in Ardern’s government: Chris Hipkins is now Minister for Combating Covid-19. The 20-person cabinet includes eight women, five Maori and three LGBT (gay, bisexual and transgender) women. The foreign minister is the Maori Nanaia Mahuta, who is the first woman to hold this office.
