Bloomberg Businessweek - USA (2020-10-12)

P O L I T I C S

33

PHOTOGRAPHS

BY

SARA

ORME

FOR

BLOOMBERG

BUSINESSWEEK

(2)

Edited by

Amanda Kolson Hurley

Bloomberg Businessweek October 12, 2020

● After beating back Covid-19,

the popular prime minister is

cruising toward a second term

‘Jacinda-mania’ Is Back

In New Zealand

a slumping economy and Ardern’s failure to deliver

on key pledges such as fixing a housing crisis and lift-

ing children out of poverty. There’s even a chance

Labour could win an outright majority, which no

partyinNewZealandhasdonesincethe1990s.

TheoppositionNationalPartyis wooingvoters

withtaxcutsandattackingArdernfornotmaking

goodonherpromises.Butsofar,it hasn’tdented

theprimeminister’spopularity.

Ardern,40,gainedfameoutsideNewZealandas

theworld’sthen-youngestfemaleheadofgovern-

ment,at37,andasthefirstworldleadertobringher

babytotheUNGeneralAssembly.Herrisetopolitical

stardomwasrapid.Asa memberofparliament, she

was thrust into the Labour Party’s top job just two

months before the last election, in 2017. The party

was at risk of a crushing defeat, so leader Andrew

Little stepped down and handed Ardern the reins. In

what became known as “Jacinda-mania,” she ignited

the campaign and led Labour to an upset victory

over National with the backing of two smaller parties.

Ardern’s talent for connecting with others is

grounded in her humility, says James Shaw,

On an Oct. 1 campaign visit to Nelson, a small city

at the top of New Zealand’s South Island, Prime

Minister Jacinda Ardern was mobbed by supporters

as she walked through the streets. Cries of “We love

you, Jacinda!” were common as she moved through

the maskless throng, mostly women and children

clamoring for selfies. The prime minister declined

to shake hands, but she happily bumped elbows.

Ardern’s greatest strength as a politician is her

authenticity and ability to relate to others. It has

served her well during her first term, when the

nation has faced some of its darkest moments—a ter-

rorist attack by a white supremacist that left 51 dead,

a volcanic eruption that killed 21, and most recently

the Covid-19 pandemic. National elections are being

held on Oct. 17, and polls predict a resounding vic-

tory for Ardern’s left-leaning Labour Party, despite

▲ Ardern campaigning

in Nelson on Oct. 1